Abstract
Two rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei Reade) cultivars Beckyblue and its open-pollinated progeny Aliceblue, both of which are known to be highly male- and female-fertile, were self-pollinated, reciprocally cross-pollinated, and pollinated with pollen from a third cultivar, Climax, which is not closely related to the other two. Fruit set percentage on ‘Aliceblue’ and ‘Beckyblue’ averaged 65% when ‘Climax’ was the pollen parent and < 1% when the cultivars were self-pollinated. Reciprocal crosses of ‘Beckyblue’ and ‘Aliceblue’ averaged 24% set, indicating a high degree of cross-incompatibility. There was no effect of pollen parent on berry fresh weight, although seed weight and seed number were reduced by self-pollination or pollination by the related cultivar.
, PYO, and home use. Origin Dr. Frederick V. Coville was the founder of the USDA blueberry breeding program (which began in 1911) and he is credited for 15 cultivars developed from crosses made during his lifetime ( Mainland, 2012 ). He has also been
‘Talisman’ is a new northern highbush blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum ) cultivar developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS). The new cultivar has several advantageous attributes for blueberry growers
A new southern highbush blueberry cultivar named `Camellia' was released in 2005 by The University of Georgia and the USDA–ARS. `Camellia' is a hybrid containing mostly Vaccinium corymbosum and a small amount of V. darrowi. The new cultivar was selected in 1996 at the Coastal Plain Experiment Station in Tifton, Ga. from a cross of MS-122 × MS-6, and was tested as TH-621 in plantings at Alapaha, Ga. beginning in 1998. `Camellia' has an estimated chill requirement of 450 to 500 hours (<7 °C). It is an early- to mid-season cultivar, having berries that are large, with a very light blue color, and a small, dry picking scar. Berry firmness is good and flavor is very good. `Camellia' flowers 5 to 8 days after `Star' and `O'Neal' in south Georgia, and ripens 4 to 9 days after `Star', and with `O'Neal'. Plants are highly vigorous, with strong cane growth and an open, upright bush habit and a narrow crown. Yields have been similar to `Star' and greater than `O'Neal'. `Camellia' should be planted with other southern highbush blueberry cultivars with a similar time of bloom for cross-pollination (`Star' and `O'Neal' suggested). It is recommended on a trial basis at this time. `Camellia' requires a license to propagate. For licensing information and/or a list of licensed propagators, contact the Georgia Seed Development Commission, 2420 S. Milledge Avenue, Athens, GA 30606; or visit their website at www.gsdc.com.
A new southern highbush blueberry cultivar named `Rebel' was released in 2005 by The University of Georgia. It is a very early season cultivar with large fruit having a medium to light blue color, and a small, dry picking scar. `Rebel' berry firmness is good, while flavor is only average. The new cultivar flowers 3 to 4 days before `Star' and ripens 6 to 9 days before `Star' in south and middle Georgia. `Rebel' plants are highly vigorous, very precocious and have a spreading bush habit with a medium crown. Yield has been similar to or greater than `Star' in south Georgia. Leafing has been excellent, even following mild winters. Rebel has an estimated chill requirement of 400 to 450 hours (<7 °C). Propagation is very easily accomplished using softwood cuttings. Plants of `Rebel' are self-fertile to a degree, but should be planted with other southern highbush blueberry cultivars with a similar time of bloom for cross-pollination (`Emerald' and `Star' suggested). `Rebel' is new, so planting on a trial basis is recommended. `Rebel' requires a license to propagate. For licensing information and/or a list of licensed propagators, contact the Georgia Seed Development Commission, 2420 S. Milledge Avenue, Athens, GA 30606; or visit their web-site at www.gsdc.com.
The effects of varying Al, Mn, and Ca fertilization levels on `Tifblue' and `Brightwell' rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei Reade) plant growth, chlorosis symptoms, and leaf elemental content were studied in a sand culture experiment. Increased Al fertilization linearly decreased Ca, Mg, and Mn leaf concentrations and plant vigor. Calcium fertilization did not affect plant growth or leaf concentration of the two cultivars. Increased Mn fertilization increased Al and Mn leaf concentrations and resulted in more chlorosis symptoms. Plants fertilized with the highest rates of Al and Mn had the least amount of growth.
The southern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) `Blueridge', `Cape Fear', `Cooper', `Georgiagem', `Gulf Coast', and `O'Neal'; the rabbiteye (V. ashei Reade) `Climax'; and the highbush (V. corymbosum L.) `Bluecrop' were evaluated for ovary damage following exposure of flower buds to 0 to 30C in a programmable freezer in Dec. 1993 and Jan. and Feb. 1994. The plants sampled were growing at the Univ. of Arkansas Fruit Substation, Clarksville. Damage was based on oxidative browning of the ovaries following an incubation period after removal from the freezer. With the exception of `Climax', a minimum temperature of –15C was required before bud damage was sufficient enough to differentiate among cultivars. All southern highbush cultivars and `Bluecrop' had superior hardiness compared to `Climax' at –15C in December, –20C in January, and –15C in February. Maximum hardiness of all cultivars was found in January. The hardier southern highbush cultivars were `Cape Fear' and `Blue Ridge'. Less hardy cultivars were `Gulf Coast, `Cooper', `Georgiagem', and `O'Neal', although the date of sampling affected the ranking of these clones for hardiness, especially for the February sample date. `Bluecrop' was not consistently hardier than the hardier southern highbush cultivars, except at the February sample date.
of differences in pruning and weather conditions. Similar fluctuations in yield were noted in another long-term organic study on 10 cultivars of northern highbush blueberry ( Strik et al., 2017 ). Fig. 1. Effect of using organic mulch (compost
Blueberry cultivars Sharpblue (mainly Vaccinium corymbosum L.) and Climax (V. ashei L.) were band-harvested on three occasions and manually packaged into 0.275 liter fiber-pulp cups or automatically packaged in vented polystyrene cups. Berries were evaluated after 1,2, or 3 weeks of storage at 1C and after 2 additional days of storage at 16C, a time frame that simulated a merchandising period. Weight loss of fruit packaged in polystyrene cups was <1% during 3 weeks of storage at 1C, whereas weight loss of berries packaged in fiber-pulp cups was ≈5.0% after similar storage. `Sharpblue' berries were softer at harvest and after each storage duration than `Climax' berries. Decay increased to ≈7% for `Climax' and 28% for `Sharpblue' after 3 weeks of storage at 1C. Package type did not affect decay incidence after 3 weeks of storage; but after 2 additional days at 16C, decay incidence was slightly higher for berries packaged in polystyrene compared with those packaged in fiber-pulp cups. `Sharpblue' should be packaged only in fiber-pulp cups and marketed quickly after harvest to avoid excessive decay.
organic fertilizers on soil and plant nutrients has not been reported in blueberry. The objectives of this research trial were to evaluate the impact of planting method, cultivar, mulch type, and fertilizer source and rate on plant growth, yield, and fruit