ISHS Acta Horticulturae 715: VIII International Symposium on Vaccinium Culture
NORTHERN HIGHBUSH BLUEBERRY BREEDING |
| Author: | J. Hancock |
| Abstract:
Three types of highbush blueberry varieties are now available - Northern, Southern and Intermediate. These vary in the number of chilling hours they require for normal floral development and their level of tolerance to winter cold. Over the last 75 years, highbush blueberry breeding activity has centered around the large USDA research programs of F. Coville, G. Darrow and A. Draper, but numerous other US and international programs have produced important cultivars. Most highbush acreage is now dominated by ‘Bluecrop’, ‘Elliott’ and ‘Duke’, but several new interesting releases are available including ‘Aurora’, ‘Draper’, ‘Legacy’, ‘Liberty’, ‘Nui’, ‘Ozarkblue’ and ‘Reka’. Three major changes have occurred in highbush blueberry breeding over the last 10 – 15 years: 1) a speed up in the release process, 2) the development of cultivars with complex genetic backgrounds, and 3) the widespread use of variety patenting and licensing. In the near future, great improvements are expected in varietal fruit quality and storability, disease resistance, and machine harvestability for the fresh market. | |
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