From the University of Florida, Plant Breeding Program
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
Blueberry
The
Florida blueberry industry has grown rapidly in the past 20 years.
Today the state has more than 7,000 acres of commercial blueberries -
producing approximately 20 million pounds, with an annual farm-gate
value of $75 million.
UF/IFAS played a pivotal role in the
industry’s growth by releasing southern highbush cultivars that ripen
April through May - a time of year when few blueberries are available
and market prices are high. Historically, rabbiteye blueberries were
first cultivated in the early 20th century in Florida, but because of
competition with northern blueberry producers, acreage steadily
declined to less than 100 acres until the 1970s, when southern highbush
cultivars were released.
Since 2005, nearly all acreage planted
in Florida has been in southern highbush cultivars developed by
UF/IFAS. The industry continues to move farther south into areas such
as DeSoto, Highlands, and Okeechobee counties.
The UF/IFAS
blueberry breeding program started in the 1940s to develop low-chill,
early-ripening, high-quality blueberry cultivars. One initial obstacle
was developing competitive cultivars at the edge of the natural adapted
range for highbush blueberry. This was accomplished by crossing
high-quality, northern blueberry cultivars with the native Florida Vaccinium species, and selecting for low-chill requirements.
The
resulting cultivars, known as southern highbush, revolutionized
blueberry production in Florida and worldwide, allowing production in
lowchill areas and creating a year-round supply of fresh blueberries.
The first southern highbush cultivars were ‘Sharpblue’, ‘Flordablue’,
and ‘Avonblue,’ released in the late 1970s. Since then, UF/IFAS has
released 35 southern highbush cultivars, and the initial germplasm
developed has contributed to all southern highbush cultivars released
worldwide.
High Impact Releases
Sharpblue
(1976): This was the first southern highbush variety ever released, and
is what launched the Florida blueberry industry. It has been widely
grown around the world and is the foundational cultivar for southern
highbush blueberry production.
Star (1996): This is widely
adapted in the southeastern U.S., and is one of the most popular
southern highbush varieties worldwide. It has desirable bush habit,
high vigor and survival, concentrated early ripening, and high-fruit
quality.
Jewel, US PP11,807 (1998): This is the second-most
commonly grown blueberry variety in Florida, and is widely grown in
other low-chill production regions around the world. It has copious
flower bud production, excellent picking scar, and firm fruit.
Emerald,
US PP12,165 (1999): This is well-adapted to Central Florida, and is the
most commonly grown blueberry variety in Florida. It has high vigor,
large fruit size, and has produced very high yields in blueberry
production regions around the world.
‘Emerald’ Southern Highbush Blueberry, HortScience pdf
Snowchaser, US PP19,503
(2005): As one of the earliest-ripening southern highbush varieties in
the world, this variety has given producers the ability to produce
high-quality fruit in a window when market prices are often high. Its
fruit has excellent flavor and aroma, and it has performed well in
evergreen production systems.
| Release Date | Cultivar | | 07/09/09 | Flicker™ ‘FL96-43’ (USPP21,554)
Meadowlark™ ‘FL01-173’ (USPP21,553)
Chickadee™ ‘FL04-235’ (USPP21,376)
Raven™ ‘FL05-627’ (USPP21,374)
Vireo™ ‘FL05-107’ (USPP21,375)
Bobolink™ ‘FL03-291’ (USPP21,377)
Kestrel™ ‘FL02-40’ (USPP21,719) | | 08/27/14 | Indigocrisp™ ‘FL98-325’ (USPP26,523)
‘FL03-228’ (USPP27,576)
‘FL98-423’ (USPP27,325) | | 01/26/15 | Avanti™ ‘FL06-203’ (USPP26,312)
Endura™ ‘FL06-377’ (USPP26,679)
Arcadia™ ‘FL07-399’ (USPP26,313) | | 02/01/16 | Keecrisp™ ‘FL06-556' (USPP27,771)
Patrecia (USPP27,740) | | 04/25/17 | Magnus (USPPAF)
Wayne (USPPAF)
Optimus (USPPAF) | | 09/20/17 | 'FLR1211'
'FLR1289' | | 10/10/18 | 'FLR14372' |
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