ISHS Acta Horticulturae 574: VII International Symposium on Vaccinium Culture
A PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF NEW ZEALAND BLUEBERRY CULTIVARS IN JAPAN |
| Authors: | G. Piller, T. Nasu, M. Fukushima, N. Patel, S. Iwahori |
| Keywords: | Vaccinium corymbosum, V. ashei, growth, fruit quality, phenology |
| Abstract:
Three New Zealand northern highbush blueberry cultivars, Nui, Puru, and Reka were introduced into Japan in 1989, followed afterwards by a number of other cultivars and advanced selections, including the rabbiteye cultivars Maru, Ono, and Whitu. Initial plantings have been spread over a wide climatic range from Hokkaido in northern Japan to southern Kyushu. These plants are being grown under quite different cultural and environmental conditions from those conditions they were initially selected from in New Zealand. Tolerance to high snowfall areas, heavy rain and high humidity during ripening, etc (conditions for which there are no observations in New Zealand) together with growth and performance data from a trial site in Soyo-machi, Kyushu is presented. All three highbush cultivars show cold hardiness. Nui`s spreading habit however makes it susceptible to winter damage in high snowfall areas. To date all cultivars have proven to have a relatively high resistance to pest and disease pressures in Japan, even during the rainy season. Nui with its large fruit size has attracted considerable interest. Poor establishment rates under Japanese conditions however are being encountered with Nui. Of the late ripening rabbiteye cultivars, Maru is looking particularly promising in terms of fruit quality, yield and its` late harvest date. | |
Download Adobe Acrobat Reader (free software to read PDF files) | |
