‘Gupton’ Southern Highbush Blueberry

Abstract

Southern highbush blueberries (Vaccinium sp.) are hybrids derived from crosses between the (northern) highbush blueberry (V. corymbosum) and germplasm developed from Vaccinium spp. that is both native and adapted to the southeastern United States. Southern highbush blueberries have an advantage over rabbiteye blueberries, the predominant type grown in the region, as a result of their earlier ripening period. As a result, blueberry growers in the southern United States, and additional regions having relatively mild winters, have greater opportunities to capitalize on the lucrative early U.S. fresh berry market because the supply of fresh market berries from the southern hemisphere diminishes concurrently with their ripening in the United States. ‘Gupton’ is a new southern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium hybrid) released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS). ‘Gupton’ is a productive and relatively early-ripening southern highbush blueberry cultivar that possesses favorable fruit quality attributes including large berries containing high soluble solids content and have excellent flavor and firmness, light blue color, and good resistance to raininduced physiological splitting that is expected to perform well in the gulf coast region and other areas of the United States where southern highbush blueberries are grown.