Vasanna™

Crimson Queen® x #35

Close-up of a cranberry plant featuring multiple green and pink berries among green foliage.

Photo of Vasanna™ bed, August 2024, Planted in late August 2021

This cross of Crimson Queen® and #35 is named in recognition of the parents of Dr. Nick Vorsa – Vasil and Anna – and their humble beginnings as immigrants to the United States.

Arriving with his parents, Damian and Heretina, in the United States following the Second World War, Vasil Vorsa – partially paralyzed by childhood pleurisy – found work in a factory in New Jersey. Dr. Vorsa’s grandfather, Damian, himself a carpenter, was forced to abandon his successful carpentry business upon being sent to a gulag as Stalin’s rule began. Damian aided Vasil in the construction of Dr. Vorsa’s childhood Cape Cod style home, the two men utilizing boards from crates Vasil brought home from the factory to complete the endeavor.


Dr. Vorsa’s mother, Anna, emigrating through Ellis Island, met Vasil in Millville, NJ. Vasil’s dream for his sons was for them to find success in his new homeland, always stressing the importance of education. Like Dr. Vorsa, his younger brother, Vasil would also earn a PhD, in his case in Chemical Physics from the University of Colorado.

A row of ten cranberry berries displayed on a white background with a coin for scale.

Vasanna™, evaluated as ‘CNJ99-9-25’ in test trials, is suitable for the processed cranberry market, having a high crop yield potential, and a mid-season ripening period. Vasanna™, a full- sibling of ‘Haines,’ has a round to ovate berry.


Vasanna™ is suited to most areas where cranberry is cultivated, but is particularly adapted to ‘peat’ organic soils, and moderate oceanic climate. Vasanna™ was derived from the variety, Crimson Queen, as the seed parent, crossed with the ‘#35’ variety as the pollen parent (‘#35’ is a selection from a putative ‘Howes’ x ‘Searles’ cross).


Originally selected in New Jersey, Vasanna™ has produced well in trials in Wisconsin and Oregon, and especially in both coarse and fine peat soils at Delta and Burnaby, BC.

The average yield in 2024 for the eight released varieties hand-harvested each September was 394 barrels/acre. This is slightly higher than the 2023 average yield of 361 barrels/acre and marks the third year in a row that average estimated yields were above 300 barrels/acre (Fig. 1). Across these eight released varieties, the 10-year average yield was highest for Vasanna, at 433 barrels/acre (Fig. 2 and Table 1). Many of the released varieties examined over the past 10 years had an average marketable yield over 300 barrels/acre; for BG, average yields were 290 barrels/acre over this time.

Graph illustrating estimated marketable yield in barrels per acre for cranberry varieties from 2015 to 2024.
Figure 1. Average estimated marketable yield (barrels/acre) of eight released varieties harvested in September of each year, from the BC Cranberry Research Farm, Delta, BC.
A graph displaying estimated marketable yields (barrels/acre) over 10 years for select cranberry varieties including Crimson Queen, Mullica Queen, Demoranville, Welker, Haines, Vasanna, BG, and Valley King.
Figure 2. Estimated marketable yield (barrels/acre) of eight released and commercially available varieties harvested in September of each year, from the BC Cranberry Research Farm. Bars represent the 10-year average.

Table 1. Estimated marketable yields* (average barrels/acre) for 10 years for select released and numbered varieties from the Rutgers and Valley Corp breeding programs planted in Field 1 and 2. Values are the mean of 3 samples, from Field 1, 4 samples from Field 2, unless otherwise noted. Data are from the late September harvest in each year.

Image of cranberry plants in a bed labeled Vasanna™, showcasing their growth as of August 2024.
* Average barrels/acre estimate in all years is based on marketable weight – minimum size based on Ocean Spray Cranberries criteria. Minimum size for 2015 to 2018 = 9/32”; 2019-2020 = ½”, 2021-2024 = 12/32” # Averages based on six samples; **Planted in 2018

2024 yields (released varieties): In 2024, the top yielding released varieties were Welker, Crimson Queen, and Vasanna – all had estimated marketable yields over 500 barrels/acre (Table 1 and Fig. 3). Haines and BG had estimated marketable yields of over 300 barrels/acre and the remaining varieties (Mullica Queen, Demoranville, Valley King and Pilgrim King) were under 300 barrels/acre (Table 1 and Fig. 3).

Bar graph displaying estimated marketable yield (barrels/acre) for various cranberry varieties, including Crimson Queen, Mullica Queen, Demoranville, Welker, Haines, Vasanna, BG, Valley King, and Pilgrim King.
Figure 3. Estimated marketable yield (barrels/acre) of nine released and commercially available varieties hand harvested on September 20, 2024, from the BC Cranberry Research Farm. Bars represent an average of three 1-ft2 samples/variety, except for Field 2 varieties which had four samples per variety.

Please Contact Us regarding current availability of Vasanna™.