New Varieties of Blueberry

THE VARIETIES that have made possible a cultivated blueberry industry in the United States consist of some 14 sorts bred by F. V. Coville of the Department, and one variety selected from the wild when he was collecting breeding material for his work.

Since Dr. Coville’s death in 1937, three varieties have been named and introduced from the selections being tested at the time of his death.  These consisted of two late sorts, Atlantic and Pemberton, and one very late variety, the Burlington. All three have been propagated and widely tested, and are proving to be worth while.

Atlantic is still liked for exactly the superior qualities that were observed when it was named. It has a large, vigorous plant that is very productive. The berries have good flavor, a fine, light-blue color, very large size, and good picking and shipping qualities. Also, of the varieties tested by the New Jersey Experiment Station, it has been the best of all for quick freezing. At one location in North Carolina the berries have been of largest size, but at a second location they were no larger than the Jersey. In the North their size equals that of the Dixi and is larger than that of the Jersey.

The Pemberton, in the Northern States, has proved to be even better than it seemed when it was introduced. It has superior vigor and productiveness, and good flavor and size of berry. Although in New Jersey its color does not seem better than that of Weymouth, in Massachusetts its color is much lighter. There, too, the scar (where the berry separates from the stem) is better than in New Jersey. It is considered promising in southern New England. Both Atlantic and Pemberton are well adapted to home gardens.

The Burlington is the latest to be introduced. It has a vigorous, large bush that resists the mite, a miscroscopic pest that is serious on some varieties. The color of the berry is light blue, its flavor is good, and it picks easily and ships well. Although not so large as Atlantic and Pemberton, it is of good size. This is a promising sort.

Dr. Coville and his associate, O. M. Freeman, left many unnamed selections that they considered worth testing. They also left about 30,000 seedlings, from which many additional selections have been made.  Because those seedlings represented the accumulated experience of more than 25 years of breeding work, there are likely to be finer seedlings among them than the ones Dr. Coville named and introduced. We think there are, and are propagating several of them for extensive testing and study. Dr. Coville realized the needs of the industry, and among the crosses he left were some for better early-ripening varieties to replace the Weymouth, and for late-ripening varieties to extend the season after that of the Jersey. Seedlings having those qualities were found, and are being propagated for testing for their hardiness, disease resistance, vigor, productiveness, picking qualities, shipping qualities, and other characteristics that determine the value of a variety. The breeding work has been continued especially to obtain hardy and late-ripening varieties in the North, early canker-resistant varieties for North Carolina and neighboring States and varieties better for shipping, canning, and freezing.

Besides the northern highbush blueberry, the southern rabbiteye seems promising. It is much more drought- and heat-resistant than the northern highbush and-can be grown on higher land. It can be grown from southern Arkansas and Louisiana to northern Florida and eastern North Carolina. Several varieties are being propagated; among the best are Myers, Clara, and Owens. Myers and Clara have fairly blue berries; the Owens has black fruit. In shipping and storage tests the Myers and Clara hold up well.

W. M. Walker, of southeastern Georgia, has for many years had fishing as a hobby. Much of his fishing has been along the Satilla River, where the rabbiteye blueberry is abundant. He selected many of the best wild plants and planted them in his garden. Neighbors were allowed to pick the surplus fruit. One of them reported the superior quality of his selections to the Department. Sure enough, when a visit was made to his place, among his selections were found better light-blue ones than anywhere else. Three of the best were named Walker, Ethel (for Mrs. Walker), and Satilla (for the Satilla River). These have already been extensively hybridized with the best varieties from other sections and with the best selections from the breeding work previously undertaken.  Mr. Walker has wanted others to have his selections and placed no restrictions on them. He gave the Georgia Coastal Plain Station at Tifton propagating wood so that others might enjoy his selections. They are now being propagated for distribution.

The remarkable vigor, productivity, and tolerance of drought and heat of the rabbiteye make it a superior horticultural plant. Full-grown bushes have averaged more than a bushel of berries each. The varieties already being propagated are good enough to form a commercial blueberry industry, but the new selections seem very much better than the older named varieties. Myers, Clara, Owens, Walker, and Ethel, selected from the wild, correspond to the Rubel, Adams, Sam, and other varieties selected from the northern wild highbush, while the new selections from breeding work correspond to the first varieties of the highbush from Coville’s breeding work—Pioneer and Cabot. The more recent varieties of the northern highbush, such as Atlantic and Pemberton, are better than the Pioneer and Cabot. Likewise, crosses of the best selections of the present rabbiteye blueberries are expected to produce still finer sorts.

The highbush and rabbiteye are just two of the many blueberry species that possess fine horticultural characters. Others, such as Constables blueberry of the high mountains of western North Carolina, and the dryland blueberry of the southern Piedmont region, bear fine berries as they grow unselected in the wild. An evergreen blueberry grows vigorously in barren; dry soils and the hot climate of Florida even south of Miami. Preliminary hybrids with these and other kinds of wild blueberries indicate that they can be of value in developing a great blueberry industry.

Because the germination was not high, the seed flats have been kept over for a second year to see if more seedlings would appear. The seedlings grow large enough for field planting in late fall and early winter and are large enough for testing their fruit qualities 2, 3, or 4 years later.

THE AUTHOR
George M. Darrow is principal pomologist in the Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils, and Agricultural Engineering.