Breeding Breakthroughs and Mentorship Insights with Gina Fernandez

A sunrise ride to an apple orchard changed everything for Dr. Gina Fernandez—and it might change how you think about berries. We sit down with the NC State distinguished professor and berry breeder to trace the path from cold-hardy apple rootstocks in Minnesota, to thornless blackberries in Arkansas, to a career defining strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries across the Southeast. Along the way, Gina reveals what makes a cultivar truly stand out: not just yields or firmness, but flavor that keeps people coming back.Gina explains how she first joined NC State to tackle cultural management and methyl bromide alternatives, then stepped into breeding as the program shifted. We dig into the trials that helped launch a North Carolina blackberry industry, why thornlessness and resistance to double blossom were pivotal, and how later threats like orange rust and fusarium reshaped goals. On strawberries, she unpacks the split between shipping acreage and local pick-your-own farms, and more. We also talk about berry varieties Gina and her team have released over the years, specifically the blackberry 'Von' and the raspberry 'Nantahala', as well as the upcoming release of her new blackberry, NC740, to be called 'Ervin'.Beyond genetics, Gina shares how science moved from solo wins to team science, and how she mentors through “Team Rubus” with weekly cadence, trust, and room for students to grow. Expect practical wisdom for early‑career researchers: travel to see different systems, build writing muscle, and collaborate across pathology, entomology, breeding, and economics to solve real grower problems. If you care about berry breeding, flavor, disease resistance, and how ideas become fruit on the table, this conversation delivers a full plate.Additional information is available in these articles: HortScience "'Von" Thornless Blackberry": https://journals.ashs.org/view/journals/hortsci/48/5/article-p654.xml HortScience article, "'Nantahala' Red Raspberry" is available at https://journals.ashs.org/view/journals/hortsci/44/1/article-p25.xmlThere are also many other relevant ASHS Journal articles available here.Enjoy the episode? Follow, share with a friend, and leave a review to help more growers, students, and berry fans find the show.Send us Fan MailLearn more about the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) at  https://ashs.org/.HortTechnology, HortScience and the Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science are all open-access and peer-reviewed journals, published by the American Society of Horticultural Science (ASHS). Find them at journals.ashs.org.Consider becoming an ASHS member at https://ashs.org/page/Becomeamember!You can also find the official webpage for Plants, People, Science at ashs.org/plantspeoplesciencepodcast, and we encourage you to send us feedback or suggestions at https://ashs.org/webinarpodcastsuggestion. Podcast transcripts are available at https://plantspeoplescience.buzzsprout.com.On LinkedIn find Sam Humphrey at linkedin.com/in/samson-humphrey. Curt Rom is at https://www.linkedin.com/in/curt-rom-611085134/. Lena Wilson is at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lena-wilson-2531a5141/.Thank you for listening!...