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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #91887
Title: IMPROVED BLACKBERRIES FOR EXPANDING MARKETS

Author
item CLARK, JOHN - UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
item MOORE, JAMES - UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
item Perkins Veazie, Penelope

Submitted to: American Fruit Grower
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/15/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The University of Arkansas has the world's largest blackberry breeding program and has been releasing new cultivars for the last 25 years. These cultivars differ from other germplasm in several ways. The UA varieties are erect-caned, requiring no trellising, and have a 'wild' flavor. Berry size varies from 5 to 15 grams. Navaho and Arapaho are thornless cultivars sthat fruit sooner than any other thornless type, and have a postharvest shelf life of 10 to 20 days, surpassing any other cultivar. The erect- caned germplasm has a concentrated ripening season of 3 to 6 weeks and is primarily used by growers in the southern and northwestern areas of the United States for fresh market fruit. This short season, combined with early ripening times of May through June, permit harvesting in the deep South to occur before extremely hot weather moves in. The continued developments in blackberry breeding, the success of current University of Arkansas releases, and the increasing demand for fresh blackberries offers great potential for production expansion.