
New Blueberry
Blooms Late, Ripens EarlyBy Jim Core July 26, 2002A newly released early-season blueberry
cultivar from the Agricultural Research
Service and University of Georgia joint
breeding program protects itself against late freeze damage by blooming a
little later, but still delivers early fruit. It may be a few more summers
before the new cultivar, Alapaha (pronounced ah-LAH-pa-ha), is available to
consumers, but it has qualities that should make the wait worthwhile. Alapaha ripens as early as Climax, the most popular early-season rabbiteye
variety. But Climax has been subject to moderate to severe freeze damage during
bloom for at least four of the last 10 years. Because Alapaha blooms later than
Climax, it receives up to 10 days more protection from late freezes. Both of
these cultivars ripen in late May to mid-June, a lucrative market window for
growers in the southeastern United States. The rabbiteye blueberry is grown on more than 95 percent of the commercial
blueberry acreage in the region and is the more vigorous of the two types of
blueberries producers grow in the southeastern United States. The other type,
southern highbush, typically flowers and ripens earlier. Alapaha was jointly released recently by the University of Georgia and
ARS Small
Fruit Research Station in Poplarville, Miss. According to horticulturist
James M. Spiers, the stations research leader, Alapaha will be available
for commercial growers and home gardens in the fall of 2003 and should be
widely available in markets within a few years. According to Spiers, Alapaha is more vigorous and grows faster than Climax.
Alapaha also produces significantly more stems after harvest that renew the
plant and develop new fruit the following year. Its berries are medium size
with excellent firmness, color, flavor and small dry scars that help give the
berries a longer shelf life. Alapaha, named after the Alapaha River, is the first of several new
cultivars to be named after south Georgia rivers and scheduled for release
during the next five years. ARS is the U.S. Department of
Agricultures chief scientific research agency. U.S. Department of Agriculture |