FROST DAMAGE ON HIGHBUSH BLUEBERRIES IN CENTRAL POLAND DURING THE YEARS 1971 – 1975

The winter hardiness of terminal growth from seven different blueberry cultivars and the damage done to flower buds by spring frost were examined at the Warsaw University in Urdynow from 1971 to 1975. The last winters in Central Poland were rather mild.
Only the winter of 1971/72, when the temperature dropped to -23.4°C, caused damage to young blueberry shoots.
The data is presented in tables in percentages comparing the total number and lengths of shoots to the number and lengths of killed ones.
It was determined that the most sensitive cultivars were Darrow and Blueray, and the most hardy Rekord and Concord; Cf. table 1. The spring frost during the middle of April in 1974 reached a low of -8.4°C, killing 9.9% of the flower buds from Blueray, and 6.8% from Darrow, at the time when the plants were in an advanced stage of growth.
According to the data, the most resistant to spring frost were the buds of Jersey and Goldtraube and to some extent those of the cultivars Bluecrop, Lateblue, Concord and Rekord; Cf. table 2. The most suitable blueberry cultivars to be recommended for the climatic conditions in Poland are: Jersey, Rekord and Goldtraube.
The cultivars Lateblue, Herbert and Bluecrop require special sites with more favourable climatic conditions.

Symposium on Vaccinium Culture in Europe

A. Rejman

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1977.61.20