Abstract
Highbush and rabbiteye blueberries have recently become a commercial crop in Japan, yet little is known of the characteristics of fruit growth pattern in cultivated blueberries. The work reported in this paper covers the seasonal growth pattern, pericarp coloration, respiration and ethylene evolution of the fruit in highbush (cv. Weymouth and Jersey) and rabbiteye (cv. Woodard and Tifeblue) blueberries.1. The seasonal growth curve of the fruit showed a double sigmoidal pattern. The fruit growth could be divided into three stages: Stage I, a period of rapid growth; Stage II, a period of slow growth, and Stage III, a second period of rapid growth which lasts until the fruit ripes.2. The stage II period of the early cultivar ‘Weymouth’ (highbush) was the shortest among the four cultivars and that in ‘Tifeblue’ (rabbiteye), a late cultivar, was the longest.3. Pericarp coloration in ‘Weymouth’ occurred between stage II and stage III. In ‘Tifeblue’, it occurred during the latter part of stage III.4. Fruit respiration increased between stage II and stage III or during the early part of stage III. Ethylene evolution peaked at the same time or a little earlier than respiration depending on the cultivar. Blueberry fruit is thus a climacteric type.5. Total sugar content increased and acidity decreased smoothly after the climacteric.
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