Abstract
Many cultivars of rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei Reade) have been recently developed with diverse vegetative and cropping characteristics, but scientific data on their performance in Alabama is limited. An experiment was established at the North Alabama Horticulture Research Center, Cullman, AL (lat. 34°11'N, long. -86°47'E), USDA Hardiness Zone 7B, to evaluate the performance and horticultural value of the following rabbiteye blueberry cultivars: “Alapaha”, “Baldwin”, “Brightwell”, “Climax”, “Ira”, “Montgomery”, “Onslow”, “Powderblue”, “Premier”, “Tifblue”, and “Yadkin”. Cultivar flowering and ripening season, yield potential, fruit quality characteristics, and vegetative growth were investigated during 2009 and 2010. “Alapaha”, “Climax”, and “Premier” were found to have early ripening in north Alabama. “Alapaha” flowered later than the earliest flowering cultivars, but ripened consistently early, and this later flowering can serve to protect “Alapaha” crop from late freeze damage. Cultivars were not found to differ with respect to their cumulative yield in their fifth and sixth leaf. “Brightwell” and “Climax” had the firmest berries, while “Climax” and “Premier” had the sweetest berries.
Highlights
This study is aimed to evaluate the performance of 11 new releases and well-established rabbiteye blueberry cultivars in North Alabama
Our objective in this study is to evaluate the vegetative growth and development, yield potential, and fruit quality of newly released and well-established rabbiteye blueberry cultivars for their performance in Alabama
In the 2009 flowering season, 5% flowering stage began on March 23 and on April 7 all of the cultivars under test had over 60% open flowers
Summary
Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas grow rabbiteye blueberry almost exclusively [1] [2]. Rabbiteye blueberries are native to the Southeast, tolerant to heat and droughts, more resistant to diseases and insects, grow on a wide range of soils, provide abundant yields, sweet fruit with excellent firmness, and a longer shelf life than other blueberry species [3] [4]. Rabbiteye blueberry bushes can grow to a height of 10 feet or more, have high vigor, and produce small to medium-large berries ranging from black to light blue [5]. Commercial rabbiteye yields typically range from 2,270 to 3,630 kg/acre on well-maintained fields, sometimes reaching as high as 4,535 kg/acre, and a blueberry orchard can continue to be productive for 30 years or more [4]
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