LEAF AND BUD TEMPERATURES OF SOUTHERN HIGHBUSH BLUEBERRIES (VACCINIUM CORYMBOSUM) INSIDE HIGH TUNNELS

Two replicated blueberry plantings, one containing one highbush, (Vaccinium corymbosum) two southern highbush and two rabbiteye (V.ashei) cultivars, and another containing one highbush and three rabbiteye cultivars were sampled in October, 1991 and plant parasitic nematodes extracted and counted. Additionally, 15 commercial rabbiteye plantings were sampled. Standard and southern highbush samples had total plant parasitic nematode levels of 228-451 nematodes/250 ml soil compared to 4-14 nematodes/250 ml soil for rabbiteye. No difference in nematode population was found among the standard highbush ('Bluecrop') and southern highbush ('Cooper', 'Gulfcoast') cultivars. Xiphinema americanum was the most common nematode species found, along with very small populations of Paratrichodorus minor. All commercial plantings had lower nematode levels in samples from the blueberry plants as compared to those from the sod middles between the rows. Nematode levels from commercial plantings ranged from 1477/250ml soil from blueberry plants and 11-1546/250 ml soil from the sod middles. Species found at high levels in the sod samples were usually distinctly different from those found associated with the blueberry plants.

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Effects of CPPU Applications on Southern Highbush Blueberries

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.42.7.1612 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 42 (7) ◽

pp. 1612-1615 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Jeffrey G. Williamson ◽

D. Scott NeSmith

Keyword(s):

Growth Regulator ◽

Field Experiments ◽

Fruit Set ◽

Vaccinium Corymbosum ◽

Highbush Blueberry ◽

Berry Size ◽

Spray Volume ◽

Highbush Blueberries ◽

Southern Highbush ◽

Spray Timing

Greenhouse and field experiments were conducted to determine the effects of the growth regulator N-(2-chloro-4-pyridyl)-N′-phenylurea (CPPU) on fruit set, berry size, and yield of southern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum hybrids). The experiments were conducted over a period of several years in Georgia and Florida. CPPU sprays were capable of increasing fruit set and berry weight of southern highbush blueberry, although the responses to CPPU treatment were variable and appeared to be influenced by factors such as rate, spray timing, and cultivar. In Florida, high natural fruit set may have prevented increased fruit set from CPPU. A slight delay in berry maturity was noted in several experiments. Spray burn occurred on several occasions and may be related to factors such as cultivar, rate, spray volume, and use of surfactant.

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Performance of Southern Highbush Blueberry Cultivars Under High Tunnels in Florida

HortTechnology ◽

10.21273/horttech.22.5.700 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 22 (5) ◽

pp. 700-704 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Bielinski M. Santos ◽

Teresa P. Salame-Donoso

Keyword(s):

Production Systems ◽

Effective Means ◽

Vaccinium Corymbosum ◽

Fruit Weight ◽

Highbush Blueberry ◽

Air Temperatures ◽

High Tunnels ◽

Southern Highbush ◽

Freeze Protection ◽

Open Fields

A study was conducted over two southern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum × Vaccinium darrowi) seasons in a grower field in Florida. The objective was to compare the early fruit weight of southern highbush blueberry cultivars in high tunnels and in open fields. Four treatments were tested using combinations of two southern highbush blueberry cultivars (Snow Chaser and Springhigh) and two production systems (open fields and 18-ft-high tunnels). The results indicated that there was a significant effect of the production systems on the number of days with air temperatures at or near freezing (≤34 °F), and maximum and minimum air temperatures. The minimum air temperature in open-field plots reached ≈19 and 21 °F (61 freezing or near-freezing events) in the 2009–10 and 2010–11 seasons, respectively, whereas the minimum air temperatures inside the high tunnels were ≈32 and 33 °F, respectively, during the same seasons (only 3 days at ≤34 °F). This indicated that using high tunnels was an effective means to avoid freezing air temperatures in blueberries. In the first season, the cumulative early fruit weight was the highest in plots planted with ‘Snow Chaser’ inside the high tunnels (≈10 tons/acre), while the combined production of the two cultivars in the open fields did not reach 1 ton/acre until the end of the early harvests. The following year, there were no differences in the cumulative early fruit weight of both cultivars when planted in the open fields (2.2 tons/acre) and the cumulative fruit yields of ‘Springhigh’ and ‘Snow Chaser’ growing inside the high tunnels was twice and four times higher, respectively, than the early fruit production obtained in the open fields. These data showed the profound effect of high tunnels on flower protection and fruit set. High tunnels reduced water use for freeze protection. The total volume used in the open fields during the freezing or near-freezing days was ≈2.5 acre-inch/acre per 8 hours of freeze protection, whereas only 1/10 of that volume was applied inside the structures.

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High-quality reference genome and annotation aids understanding of berry development for evergreen blueberry (Vaccinium darrowii)

Horticulture Research ◽

10.1038/s41438-021-00641-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jiali Yu ◽

Amanda M. Hulse-Kemp ◽

Ebrahiem Babiker ◽

Margaret Staton

Keyword(s):

Small Rna ◽

Reference Genome ◽

Anthocyanin Biosynthesis ◽

Vaccinium Corymbosum ◽

Small Rna Sequencing ◽

High Quality ◽

Protein Coding ◽

Haplotype Assembly ◽

Highbush Blueberries ◽

Southern Highbush

AbstractVaccinium darrowii Camp (2n = 2x = 24) is a native North American blueberry species and an important source of traits such as low chill requirement in commercial southern highbush blueberry breeding (Vaccinium corymbosum, 2n = 4x = 48). We present a chromosomal-scale genome of V. darrowii generated by the combination of PacBio sequencing and high throughput chromatin conformation capture (Hi–C) scaffolding technologies, yielding a total length of 1.06 Gigabases (Gb). Over 97.8% of the genome sequences are scaffolded into 24 chromosomes representing the two haplotypes. The primary haplotype assembly of V. darrowii contains 34,809 protein-coding genes. Comparison to a V. corymbosum haplotype assembly reveals high collinearity between the two genomes with small intrachromosomal rearrangements in eight chromosome pairs. With small RNA sequencing, the annotation was further expanded to include more than 200,000 small RNA loci and 638 microRNAs expressed in berry tissues. Transcriptome analysis across fruit development stages indicates that genes involved in photosynthesis are downregulated, while genes involved in flavonoid and anthocyanin biosynthesis are significantly increased at the late stage of berry ripening. A high-quality reference genome and accompanying annotation of V. darrowii is a significant new resource for assessing the evergreen blueberry contribution to the breeding of southern highbush blueberries.

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Risk-rated Economic Return Analysis for Southern Highbush Blueberries in Soil in Georgia

HortTechnology ◽

10.21273/horttech.17.4.571 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 17 (4) ◽

pp. 571-579 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Esendugue Greg Fonsah ◽

Gerard Krewer ◽

Kerry Harrison ◽

Michael Bruorton

Keyword(s):

Vaccinium Corymbosum ◽

Maintenance Cost ◽

Total Annual Cost ◽

First Year ◽

Full Production ◽

Net Revenue ◽

Annual Total ◽

Highbush Blueberries ◽

Southern Highbush ◽

The Cost

Southern highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum × V. darrowii hybrids) are a rapidly emerging crop with a bright future in Georgia; however, blueberries, like other fruit crops, are subject to price and yield fluctuation. These volatilities depend on several factors, including the cultivar produced and sold (i.e., fresh or frozen), locality, aggregate productivity, targeted market, and timing. As a result, profit margin is hard to determine. The objective of this study was to estimate total costs of cultivating southern highbush blueberries in soil under Georgia conditions and determine profitability, if any. Although there are several methods of profit determination, the risk-rated method was adopted for this study. The first-year establishment and maintenance cost of growing southern highbush blueberry in soil in Georgia using high organic matter (greater than 3%) spodic-type or allied sand soil series with supplemental pine bark incorporated was estimated at $9585.55/acre. The second-year establishment and maintenance cost of growing, harvesting, and marketing was $3691.99/acre less return from receipts of $2375.00/acre equal to $1316.99/acre. The third-year establishment and maintenance cost was $7068.20/acre. The total returns for the same year were $9500.00/acre. Subtracting the cost of $7068.20 from $9500.00 gives a net return of $2431.80/acre. The fourth-year cost, which was considered to be the first year of actual full production, was estimated at $13,547.35/acre. The compounded and recaptured establishment annual costs were $2176.43/acre. The risk-rated expected returns over total costs 66% of the time were $5452.65/acre. The chances of making profit were 92% and the base-budgeted net revenue was $6456.00/acre. Total budgeted cost was $3.38/lb. The estimated annual total fixed machinery cost was $290.41/acre. Total annual cost of solid set irrigation was $657.81/acre.

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FRUITING IN SOUTHERN HIGHBUSH BLUEBERRIES: POLLEN SOURCE AND HONEY BEE POLLINATION EFFICIENCY

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.27.6.613f ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 27 (6) ◽

pp. 613f-614

Author(s):

Robert G. Danka ◽

Gregory A. Lang

Keyword(s):

Honey Bees ◽

Fruit Set ◽

Floral Morphology ◽

Vaccinium Corymbosum ◽

Fruit Weight ◽

Bee Pollination ◽

Bee Foraging ◽

Highbush Blueberries ◽

Southern Highbush ◽

Net Cages

`Gulfcoast' southern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum × V. darrowi) plants were placed in 3 × 6 × 2.5 m net cages with one colony of honey bees per cage and one of three pollinizer treatments: “self (other `Gulfcoast' plants), “cross/highbush” (other southern highbush cultivars), or “cross/rabbiteye” (various rabbiteye blueberry cultivars). In addition to unlimited pollination, bee foraging was controlled on individual flowers by placing small bags over corollas after 0, 1, 5, or 10 visits. Fruit set, fruit weight, fruit development period, and seed number data were taken, as well as data to relate floral morphology to duration of bee foraging. All measures of fruiting increased significantly with increased bee visitation; the threshold for significant gains in production occurred between 1 and 5 visits. Ten visits generally provided a good approximation of unlimited pollination. Set, weight, and earliness of ripening was as good, or better, for fruit derived from rabbiteye pollen compared to fruit from self- or cross/highbush-pollination.

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Foliar Elemental Analysis of Southern Highbush, Rabbiteye, and Highbush Blueberries in the Southern United States

HortTechnology ◽

10.21273/horttech.4.4.351 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 4 (4) ◽

pp. 351-355 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

John R. Clark ◽

David Creech ◽

Max E. Austin ◽

M.E. “Butch” Ferree ◽

Paul Lyrene ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Elemental Analysis ◽

Vaccinium Corymbosum ◽

Southern United States ◽

Southern States ◽

Highbush Blueberries ◽

Southern Highbush ◽

Species Specific ◽

Nutritional Monitoring

Highbush (Vaccinium corymbosum L.), rabbiteye (V. ashei Reade), and southern highbush (Vaccinium spp.) blueberries grown at seven locations in six southern states were sampled in 1988 and 1989 to determine foliar elemental levels among blueberry cultivars and types. Across locations, elemental levels of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, and Al were similar for highbush and southern highbush types. Rabbiteye elemental levels were different from highbush and southern highbush for N, P, K, Ca, S, Mn, Cu, and Al. Rabbiteye blueberries appear to have different foliar levels, and may require species-specific standards for nutritional monitoring of plantings.

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Southern Highbush Blueberry Production in High Tunnels: Temperatures, Development, Yield, and Fruit Quality During the Establishment Years

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.44.7.1850 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 44 (7) ◽

pp. 1850-1856 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Andrew B. Ogden ◽

Marc W. van Iersel

Keyword(s):

Fruit Set ◽

Highbush Blueberry ◽

Reproductive Growth ◽

High Tunnel ◽

High Tunnels ◽

Freeze Damage ◽

Highbush Blueberries ◽

Southern Highbush ◽

Vegetative And Reproductive Growth ◽

Freeze Protection

Growers interested in producing early, high-quality, southern highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) in high tunnels face a lack of information regarding appropriate cultural methods. We sought to elucidate the optimal date to close high tunnels to hasten vegetative and reproductive growth of organic southern highbush blueberry cultivars Emerald and Jewel grown in Georgia. The three dates selected to close the high tunnels were 15 Dec., 2 Jan., and 16 Jan. High tunnels raised soil and daytime air temperatures during winter months, but the tunnels did not retain heat at night and did not provide freeze protection without the use of propane heaters. The high tunnel microclimate advanced both vegetative and reproductive growth compared with outdoor plants. Averaged over the 2-year study, the 15 Dec. tunnel closure advanced flower initiation by 38 days for ‘Emerald’ and 39 days for ‘Jewel’ compared with outdoor control plants. Synchronization of flowering of the two cultivars was poor in 2007 when ‘Emerald’ flowered much earlier than ‘Jewel’ and much better in 2008. In 2007, flower and fruit development of ‘Jewel’ were faster than that of ‘Emerald’ with Jewel going from the appearance of individual flowers to ripe fruit in 80 days as compared with 105 days for ‘Emerald’. Total yield was strongly correlated with fruit set (r = 0.94). ‘Emerald’ fruit contained higher concentrations of soluble solids and anthocyanins than ‘Jewel’ fruit, and anthocyanin concentrations increased throughout the harvest period. No fruit matured in 2008 as a result of freeze damage. The biggest obstacle for high tunnel production of southern highbush blueberries appears to be preventing freeze damage and assuring pollination. Cost-effective freeze protection and ways to promote good fruit set will be critical to successful production of early southern highbush blueberries in high tunnels.

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Postharvest Quality of Mechanically and Hand-harvested, Southern Highbush Blueberry Fruit for Fresh Market

HortTechnology ◽

10.21273/horttech.23.4.437 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 23 (4) ◽

pp. 437-441 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Steven A. Sargent ◽

Adrian D. Berry ◽

Jeffrey G. Williamson ◽

James W. Olmstead

Keyword(s):

Titratable Acidity ◽

Vaccinium Corymbosum ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Postharvest Quality ◽

Successful Implementation ◽

Highbush Blueberry ◽

Fresh Market ◽

Highbush Blueberries ◽

Southern Highbush ◽

Solids Content

Three southern highbush blueberry cultivars (Vaccinium corymbosum hybrids) were mechanically harvested (MH) or hand-harvested (HH) and commercially packed before storage for 14 days at 1 °C in two successive years. MH fruit were softer, had lower ratings for overall appearance, and lost up to 20% more fresh weight than HH fruit after 14 days storage. MH ‘Meadowlark’ had fewer soft fruit (<35%) during storage than either ‘Sweetcrisp’ or ‘Farthing’; however, the latter two cultivars had lower incidences of shrivel and weight loss. Fruit in the 2010 season were more susceptible to bruising than those from the 2009 season; however, soluble solids content (SSC), total titratable acidity (TTA), and ascorbic acid concentration remained constant during storage and between seasons. ‘Meadowlark’ had the highest sugar to acid ratio (25.0). Successful implementation of MH of southern highbush blueberries for fresh market will only be commercially feasible if harvest impacts are further reduced.

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