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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Poplarville, Mississippi » Southern Horticultural Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #301162
Title: 'Sweetie Pie' thornless blackberry

Author
item Stringer, Stephen
item Smith, Barbara
item Sampson, Blair
item Shaw, Donna
item Adamczyk, John

Submitted to: Journal of the American Pomological Society
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/30/2016
Publication Date: 10/1/2017
Citation: Stringer, S.J., Smith, B.J., Sampson, B.J., Shaw, D.A., Adamczyk Jr, J.J. 2017. 'Sweetie Pie' thornless blackberry. Journal of American Pomological Society. 71:214-219.

Interpretive Summary: 'Sweetie Pie' is a thornless, erect blackberry originally selected by Dr. Creighton Gupton (USDA_ARS) and developed and released by Dr. Stephen Stephen Stringer. This new cultivar was developed from crosses among heat tolerant and rosette disease reistant parents. In replicated trials in south Mississippi over the last decade, 'Sweetie Pie' performed well having good growth and vigor, productivity, resistance to rosette disease, good fruit quality and excellent flavor, and a relatively late ripening season that will aid growers in filling the void between early and late season cultivars. 'Sweetie Pie' is recommended for use by local fresh market and U-pick farm operations as well as homeowners although berries may be too soft for use in commercial production.

Technical Abstract: 'Sweetie Pie’ is a new thornless, erect, floricane-fruiting blackberry (Rubus L. subgenus Rubus Watson) cultivar developed and released by the USDA-ARS Thad Cochran Southern Horticultural Laboratory (TCSHL). Important attributes of ‘Sweetie Pie’ include a mid to late-ripening season, resistance to rosette (double blossom) disease, and berries having good quality and excellent flavor. ‘Sweetie Pie’ offers local fresh market growers, U-Pick farm operations, and homeowners a new cultivar adapted to the Gulf Coast region of the U.S. ‘Sweetie Pie’is the first thornless blackberry released from the TCSHL breeding program.