Dr. Beth Alger, Assistant Plant Breeder at Berry Blue, LLC, is the research and development leader for MBG Marketing/Naturipe Farms. She applies her Ph.D. in plant breeding, genetics, and biotechnology to solve real-world problems for growers. Her role requires a strong background in genetics, biology, and statistics, as well as fieldwork, lab skills, and coding. Alger’s work balances a year-round cycle of science and logistics. She spends the growing season outdoors monitoring field trials, hand-pollinating, collecting data, and scoring plant traits. Off-season, her focus shifts to data analysis, cross-planning, and greenhouse management.
The blueberry breeding process is lengthy and challenging. Hundreds of crosses are made annually, and trials span multiple U.S. states and Canada to ensure adaptability to diverse climates. A significant portion of the work occurs outdoors and unprotected by design. This ensures that only the hardiest varieties, capable of surviving frosts and heatwaves, are advanced. The full development process can take 7 to 12 years from seed to commercial release. The most difficult stage is early selection. Fewer than one in 10,000 seedlings achieve commercial status. Success is defined by high standards for yield, flavor, shelf life, disease resistance, and climate adaptability. To read more, check out BlueBookServices
