New cultivars for the Northwest- Out of the research plots and into commercial fields
Chad Finn, USDA-ARS.
With input from several growers, packers and processors
Newer cultivars that have been commonly planted
Reka NZ Hort Research 1989Rahi NZ Hort Research 1990Legacy USDA-ARS, Beltsville 1993Ozarkblue Univ. of Arkansas 1997Draper Michigan St. Univ. 2004Liberty Michigan St. Univ. 2004Aurora Michigan St. Univ. 2004Ochlockonee Univ. of Georgia 2006
What I’ve said
What growers/packers have found
‘Draper’
Duke x G 751 Yield good off station. Ok
on station Outstanding ‘Duke’ type
fruit quality Stored 3 wks w/excellent
quality Ripens just after ‘Duke’ To watch: poorly set fruit
What growers/packers have found:
‘Draper’
Plant Slower growing (But often compared to Liberty!) Slower to reach height for machine harvest Compact Brushy – prune out center and low wood More upright and vigorous than Duke Inconsistent plant-to-plant vigor Sensitive to management issues Not a good “starter variety”
What growers/packers have found:
‘Draper’
Fruit/Yield Very good fruit quality especially in storage. Does not have intense flavor- Sugar and nice pop Very firm- Can get weirdly firm- fibrous? Picks fast- faster than Duke Precocious- productive early Uneven fruit size Machines Very low dockage <0.5%
What growers/packers have found:
‘Draper’
Season Short harvest window- Very concentrated ripening Will “slam packinghouses” as so much comes off at
once
Reka Northern highbush Mid-season High yielding Good fruit quality but
dark fruited
Plant/fruit Grows quickly High yields Very precocious Can machine early Some redback like Bluecrop Dark fruited very difficult fresh- Picking time critical if
trying to harvest blue enough for fresh market “Why plant a cultivar that is most likely going to be
limited to processing market?”
What growers/packers have found:
‘Reka’
‘Legacy’ Late mid-season i.e. Berkeley Excellent fruit quality Medium size fruit Excellent yields “Umbrella”/ “willowy” growth Tendency to be evergreen
can slow winter pruning
What growers/packers have found:
‘Legacy’
Plant S. Highbush-Evergreen tendency makes pruning difficult
(50%+ cost) SHB- so can break bud early… concerns this last week! Twiggy inner bush/V. dense Grows quickly & new growth hides fruit- Pickers hate Low N- Excellent organic potential Fruit throughout so need to clean out middles “Amazingly adaptable” C. Washington to C. California” Tall, willowy
What growers/packers have found:
‘Legacy’
Fruit Outstanding quality- good size, great
flavor and firmness Easy release Poor concentration of ripe fruit Can split w/rain Not a great harvesting window-
competing with mid season and Liberty Gets firmer in CA
‘Ozarkblue’
Very late; just before ‘Elliott’
Excellent fruit quality Precocious High yields Concerns:
- Plant-to-plant variability
What growers/packers have found:
‘Ozarkblue’Fruit Fantastic quality Occasional wet scar Can be dark Good yield Won’t CA Need to manage harvest carefully
Need 8 vs. 10-12 d rotationCannot let hang or will fall apart (soft)
What growers/packers have found:
‘Ozarkblue’
Plant Vigorous and precocious Great leaf/fruit ratio Not a tall plant Need to flower thing or prune
hard to prevent overcropping Tendency to show little leaf trait
‘Liberty’
Brigitta Blue x Elliott Excellent fruit quality V. good yield Late, just before ‘Ozarkblue’ To watch: Pruning challenges
Plant Vigorous Good grower Responds to nutrients Needs lower N- Organic potential Can outgrow top and have weak canes early Need trellis for vigorous growth or will lodge and to keep fruit
off of ground; best if get on early Nice bush shape A good “starter variety”
What growers/packers have found:
‘Liberty’
Fruit Highest quality fruit- Better than anything new Long loose clusters Incredible flavor; excellent firmness Flat shape- if running over sizer need true sizer not band
sizer Can get slight splitting Excellent yield Good CA storage
What growers/packers have found:
‘Liberty’
Season/Harvest Releases very easily. Blues come off greens stay on.
Releases too easily??? Pickers make good money Run nice, firm, consistent Better fruit quality than the slightly later Elliott and
Aurora. Possible to hold, or delay until that season?
What growers/packers have found:
‘Liberty’
‘Aurora’
Brigitta Blue x Elliott Late, with or slightly later than Elliott Similar fruit quality to Elliott Good yields
Plant Needs more N than Elliott Can have squat habit early but will grow out of it
and trellis can help
What growers/packers have found:
‘Aurora’
Fruit Not great improvement over Elliott if growers pick the
same as Elliott No shrivel so can let hang to get better quality
especially flavor Colors before ripens V. good firmness and can ship! Only slight split when Elliott had major split problems Season probably only 2-3 d later than Elliott and not in
every year. Elliott ripens its crops slower
What growers/packers have found:
‘Aurora’
New rabbiteyes ‘Ochlockonee’- Promising ‘Powderblue’ still looking good ‘Maru’- Very large but ugly ‘Rahi’- Poor yield and splits ‘Onslow’- Poor quality, dark and ugly Mississippi selections- Not happy
here very low yield and poor quality
Onslow Rahi Maru
Ochlockonee
‘Ochlockonee’
Rabbiteye from Georgia Tifblue x Menditoo Extremely late High quality Concerns: will see 1st good
crop in 2007=Ochlockonee
Excellent quality. Best rabbiteye- Better than Elliott Good yield Can overcrop Brushy and hard to pick Tends to get less Pseudomonas than Powderblue, but when it
gets it its dead vs. Powderblue tolerates Not great shelf life Can have poor pollination Not as pretty as Powderblue Less split than most
What growers/packers have found:
‘Ochlockonee’
Rahi
Rabbiteye; ‘Premier’ OP Needs testing- Looks good
in observation plots at a nursery
Late High quality Hope to plant this spring
Very good quality Some split problems Can’t get yield
What growers/packers have found:
‘Rahi’
What growers/packers have found:
Rabbiteyes in general
Season is September-October: Do you really want fruit then with Argentina and Chile coming on with early southern highbush with better quality?
So many problems (“Pain in the $*&@#!”)…
Split, pseudomonas, fruit quality, need to survive August heat
Better to push/hold Liberty and Aurora?
Maru
Newer cultivars that have been commonly planted
More being planted?Reka Probably not muchRahi NoLegacy ProbablyOzarkblue Probably not muchDraper DefinitelyLiberty DefinitelyAurora ProbablyOchlockonee Probably
Thanks to Blueberry Trial Support Group!
And for their use of a harvester in the OSU and USDA-ARS plots at NWREC
Questions?
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