Senior research scientist at the Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI) Julie Graham said that SCRI is in the last six months of the genetic marker project for raspberries which will create a genetic map to show "which genes are responsible for which traits".

Graham, speaking at SCRI's Fruit for the Future event held last week at its site near Dundee, said: "We have tried to draw a picture of what the raspberry's seven chromosomes look like and then put a lot of genes onto these chromosomes to identify which genes are responsible for which traits... which genes control qualities like taste and visual quality."

Graham, who earlier this year was awarded the RHS Jones-Bateman Cup for her work, said the map will speed up SCRI's propogation process as it seeks to breed varieties with desirable characterisitcs such as a sweeter taste or resistance to disease.

"We will be able to select things that are difficult to characterise in a very short space of time."

Her research is part of SCRI's six-year, £1m raspberry breeding programme which ends this year.

A 13-strong consortium of major players in the berry industry was behind the deal, including Berryworld, Angus Soft Fruits and the HDC.

SCRI breeder Nicky Jennings said: "Funding for this programme ran out in March this year. The HDC submitted a new proposal this year and we are under negotiations to set up a new raspberry breeding programme."

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