Skip to navigation Skip to content

Susan McCallum

Staff picture: Susan McCallum
Cell and Molecular Sciences
Cell and Molecular Sciences
Blueberry Researcher
Susan.McCallum@hutton.ac.uk
+44 (0)344 928 5428 (*)

The James Hutton Institute
Invergowrie
Dundee DD2 5DA
Scotland UK

 

Current research interests

I am currently working on a project funded by Horticultural LINK to look at the establishment, seasonality and machine harvestability of 40 different blueberry varieties across five locations in the UK. Fruit quality composition (fruit size, colour, pH, juice content and sensory characteristics) are being examined so that cultivars with the most appropriate qualities can be identified for the UK fresh and processing markets

To date there is no publically available linkage map for tetraploid blueberry that has good coverage of co-dominant genetic markers that are specifically targeted towards identifying fruit quality attributes defined as important targets by UK consumers of both fresh and processed blueberry fruit.

By linking the phenotype to genotype a genetic framework for future crop improvement using marker assisted breeding will be established and this should greatly increase the speed and precision of blueberry breeding. Project collaboration with the Specialty Crop Research Initiative-funded project with partners based across America.

Past research

  • University of Strathclyde PhD in Plant Genetics 2006-2009
    PhD project: “Marker assisted breeding for sensory characteristics in red raspberry (Rubus idaeus)”.
  • Research Assistant at SCRI working on an EU project entitled. ‘Single nucleotide polymorphisms for study of biodiversity of climate adaptation in trees’ 2005-2006.
  • University of Abertay BSc (Hons) in Medical Biotechnology (First Class) 2003-2005.

Bibliography

  • McCallum, S.; Simpson, C.; Graham, J. (2018) QTL mapping and marker assisted breeding in Rubus spp., In: Graham, J. & Brennan, R. (eds.). Raspberry: Breeding, Challenges and Advances. Springer International Publishing, Cham, Chapter 8, pp121-144.
  • McCallum, S.; Graham, J. (2014) Vaccinium spp., blueberry., In: George, R.A.T. & Fox, R.T.V. (eds.). Diseases of Temperate Horticultural Plants, CABI, UK, 5, pp 84-103.


Printed from /staff/susan-mccallum on 25/03/23 04:17:58 AM

The James Hutton Research Institute is the result of the merger in April 2011 of MLURI and SCRI. This merger formed a new powerhouse for research into food, land use, and climate change.