Articles
FIFTEEN YEARS AND 120 GENOTYPES LATER WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED ABOUT TRIALING BLUEBERRY CULTIVARS IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST?
Article number
810_5
Pages
71 – 78
Language
English
Abstract
The U.S. Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), in cooperation with Oregon State University (OSU) and the Oregon Blueberry Trial Support Group, has been running an extensive selection and cultivar evaluation trial at the OSU North Willamette Research and Extension Center (NWREC) in Aurora Oregon.
Since the initial planting in 1990, over 120 genotypes have been evaluated.
Over the years, the evaluation approach has been streamlined and improved based on experience and data analyses.
The very practical things that have been learned include: 1) netting is essential for evaluating genotypes ripening in June and July; 2) a randomized complete block design, while not as ideal as a completely randomized design for detecting genotypic differences, is better from a practical standpoint when managing the best way to add new genotypes to the planting; 3) three replications were sufficient to detect differences that were meaningful to growers, about 2.69 t/ha vs. 1.80 t/ha with five replications; and 4) good harvests in years 4, 5 and 6 after planting was highly correlated with performance of total yield over years 3–9. As far as blueberry type was concerned, northern highbush blueberries were well adapted to the NWES site but most southern highbush were not.
The southern highbush, with the notable exception of Legacy and Ozarkblue, grew well but tended to be very low yielding due in part to mid-winter flowering.
Rabbiteye blueberries grew well although their fruit quality was generally poorer than highbush blueberries.
Rabbiteye cultivars that overlap with the highbush ripening season are not of much interest, whereas cultivars like Powderblue, which has good quality and Ochlockonee that is very late ripening have excellent potential for late-season markets.
Since the initial planting in 1990, over 120 genotypes have been evaluated.
Over the years, the evaluation approach has been streamlined and improved based on experience and data analyses.
The very practical things that have been learned include: 1) netting is essential for evaluating genotypes ripening in June and July; 2) a randomized complete block design, while not as ideal as a completely randomized design for detecting genotypic differences, is better from a practical standpoint when managing the best way to add new genotypes to the planting; 3) three replications were sufficient to detect differences that were meaningful to growers, about 2.69 t/ha vs. 1.80 t/ha with five replications; and 4) good harvests in years 4, 5 and 6 after planting was highly correlated with performance of total yield over years 3–9. As far as blueberry type was concerned, northern highbush blueberries were well adapted to the NWES site but most southern highbush were not.
The southern highbush, with the notable exception of Legacy and Ozarkblue, grew well but tended to be very low yielding due in part to mid-winter flowering.
Rabbiteye blueberries grew well although their fruit quality was generally poorer than highbush blueberries.
Rabbiteye cultivars that overlap with the highbush ripening season are not of much interest, whereas cultivars like Powderblue, which has good quality and Ochlockonee that is very late ripening have excellent potential for late-season markets.
Publication
Authors
C. Finn, B.C. Strik, A. Wagner
Keywords
northern highbush, southern highbush, rabbiteye, yield
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