** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** BLACKBERRY GROWERS AND STAKEHOLDERS FROM EVERY MAJOR PRODUCTION REGION IN THE US CITED THE LACK OF CONSISTENTLY FLAVORFUL CULTIVARS AS THE MOST IMPORTANT CONSTRAINT LIMITING THE GROWTH OF THE INDUSTRY. SELECTION FOR IMPROVED FLAVOR IS A SLOW AND INEFFICIENT PROCESS IN BLACKBERRY BREEDING PROGRAMS. NOVEL SELECTION METHODS FOR IMPROVING FLAVOR HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED IN OTHER FRUIT CROPS, WHICH ARE MORE ACCURATE AND OBJECTIVE THAN BREEDERS' RATINGS AND MORE AFFORDABLE AND SCALABLE THAN TRADITIONAL CONSUMER SENSORY PANELS. THESE METHODS INCLUDE THE USE OF MOLECULAR MARKERS FOR SPECIFIC VOLATILES AND ACIDS AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF GENOMIC AND METABOLOMIC SELECTION TO PREDICT CONSUMER SENSORY RATINGS. WE PROPOSE TO LEVERAGE NEW GENOMIC TOOLS DEVELOPED IN BLACKBERRY AND NOVEL APPROACHES FOR IMPROVING FLAVOR DEVELOPED IN OTHER FRUIT CROPS TO DEVELOP IMPROVED SELECTION METHODS FOR FLAVOR IN BLACKBERRY BREEDING PROGRAMS. SPECIFICALLY, WE PROPOSE TO COMBINE DATA FROM CONSUMER SENSORY PANELS AND METABOLOMIC DATA OF VOLATILE AND NONVOLATILE FACTORS TO DETERMINE THE MOST IMPORTANT BREEDING TARGETS THAT IMPACT CONSUMER LIKING OF BLACKBERRIES. THEN WE WILL CONDUCT GWAS TO IDENTIFY GENOMIC REGIONS CONTROLLING THOSE VOLATILES, ORGANIC ACIDS AND SUGARS CHOSEN AS IMPORTANT BREEDING TARGETS. LAST, METABOLOMIC AND GENOMIC SELECTION MODELS WILL BE DEVELOPED AND COMPARED TO PREDICT THE CONSUMER SENSORY RATINGS OF NEW BREEDING SELECTIONS. NEW GENETIC MARKERS AND OPTIMIZED BREEDING STRATEGIES DEVELOPED IN THIS PROJECT WILL BE DEPLOYED IN APPLIED BLACKBERRY BREEDING PROGRAMS TO CULL SEEDLINGS FROM BREEDING POPULATIONS, CHOOSE OPTIMAL PARENT COMBINATIONS FOR CROSSING, AND SELECT CANDIDATES FOR ADVANCED TRIALS