Blueberry plant named ‘BB14-321NA-1’
PP034620 · 2022-10-04
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
International classification
Abstract
‘BB14-321NA-1’ is the first known genotype selected in a low-chill temperate environment of Central Chile and tested also in the tropical environment of Peru. ‘BB14-321NA-1’ is a high-yielding early season variety that can break buds and produce fruit with very low chill or no-chill since it does not develop endo-dormancy. The fruit of ‘BB14-321NA-1’ is very large with medium blue color, high bloom and excellent fruit appearance. Fruit is firm and has juicy texture. The eating quality of ‘BB14-321NA-1’ is very good, and ‘BB14-321NA-1’ appears to have the option of jumbo early fruit for early spring production in many places of the world. It can be cultivated in soil and soilless production systems.
Claims
1. A new low-chill and tropical highbush blueberry plant cultivar named ‘BB14-321NA-1’ as described and shown herein.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(6) Note: statements of characteristics herein represent exemplary observations of the cultivar performance in Nancagua, Chile (34° 43′58,89″ S; 71° 10′ 24,75″O) and in Chao, Peru (8° 35′12″S 78° 35′58″W) and might have some phenotypic variations depending on time of year, location, annual temperature conditions and weather, etc. Where dimensions, sizes, colors, and other characteristics are given, it is to be understood that such characteristics are approximations and averages. The descriptions reported herein are based on the original selected individual bush observed in successive years through 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 in fields near Nancagua, Chile and in cloned propagated plants planted at the same place in Nancagua in 2019 and also in Chao, Peru in 2019 and 2020. Laboratory analysis of fruit characteristics were done in Nancagua and in Chao, Peru.
(7) Cultivar Name: ‘BB14-321NA-1’
(8) Classification: Family: Ericaceae. Botanical name: Vaccinium corymbosum Common name: Blueberry.
(9) Parentage:
(10) Female Parent
(11) Name: ‘Raven’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,374 (child of ‘FL01-26’ (unpatented) and ‘Windsor’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,783).
(12) U.S. Plant Patent: U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,374 Oct. 12, 2010
(13) Compared to ‘Raven’, ‘BB14-321NA-1’ produces fruit on current season shoots in the tropical environment of Peru, and in one-year old shoots in the low-chill area of Nancagua. They both have large fruit, however ‘BB14-321NA-1’ produced fruit much earlier than ‘Raven’ and ‘BB14-321NA-1’ does not require chill hours to break buds, since flowers are present even at the end of the fall in Nancagua, Chile. ‘BB14-321NA-1’ also produced high yields in the no-chill environment of Chao, Peru.
(14) Male Parent
(15) Name: ‘BB05-225FL-1’ (child of Emerald (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,165) x Jewel (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,807).
(16) U.S. Plant Patent: Unpatented.
(17) Compared to ‘BB05-225FL-1’, the fruit of ‘BB14-321NA-1’ is larger, earlier and firmer. They both produce fruit on one-year old shoots in temperate environments.
(18) ‘BB14-321NA-1’ originated as a seedling selected from a cross of ‘Raven’ and ‘BB05-225FL-1’ made in a greenhouse in Grand Junction, Mich. in 2014. Seed was germinated in Chile and plants of that cross were grown and planted in a seedling evaluation site in Nancagua, Region de O'Higgins in Chile in a soilless system under tunnel in November 2016 and evaluated for two years in 2017 and 2018. The plant was first selected on Nov. 16, 2017, based on its excellent fruit characteristics such as being jumbo, sweet and firm both in the field and after 5 days cold storage. The selection was given the number ‘BB14-321NA-1’. It was tested under this number for two years. The individual bush of ‘BB14-321NA-1’ was observed and evaluated for productivity and fruit quality in the same site for two successive years through 2017 and 2018. Current-season shoot samples of the mother plant were taken in 2018 for in vitro clonal propagation in Chile. Clonal plants were planted in an advanced trial in a soilless system near Nancagua, Chile and sent to Chao Peru in 2019 and the fruit was evaluated. All of the observed bushes have retained the characteristics of the original selection in Chile, and showed some phenotypic variation in Peru, such as more acidic fruit.
(19) ‘BB14-321NA-1’ has been asexually propagated via tissue-cultured micro shoots since 2018 and dozens of individual shoots have been rooted in Chile and in Chao, Peru. Propagated plants have been under evaluation since October 2019.
(20) General Description of ‘BB14-321NA-1’
(21) ‘BB14-321NA-1’ is a new and distinct low-chill tetraploid Southern highbush blueberry variety (Vaccinium) of complex ancestry, based largely on V. corymbosum and V. darrowii, from the breeding program of Berry Blue, LLC. ‘BB14-321NA-1’ is a very productive early-season variety with high quality fresh market characteristics. ‘BB14-321NA-1’ has a good upright bush and a small sized crown with erect new canes and a high apical dominance. The bush has a very good vigor, and ‘BB14-321NA-1’ has shown very good adaptability to sandy soil and substrate mix of coco fiber and peat. The fruit itself is medium blue violet color, with good firmness and very juicy texture. The fruit appearance is excellent due to its large size and high bloom. Fruit should be picked on a regular schedule about 7 to 10 days to maintain the quality of the fruit and allow for flavor and sugar development. ‘BB14-321NA-1’ is expected to be released as the first cultivar selected in low-chill central Chile and as an improvement over ‘Rocio’ and ‘Kestrel’ in terms of fruits size and earliness.
(22) References to color refer to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart 2007 Fifth Edition.
(23) Morphological characteristics reference: Plant Systematics, Jones and Luchsinger, 2 Ed., McGraw Hill, New York, ISBN 0-07-032796-3, 1986.
(24) Device used to measure Soluble Solids (SS-Brix°), Titratable acidity (TA), pH: PAL-BX/Acid 7, Atago USA, Inc., Bellevue, Wash.
(25) Firmness readings: Shore by BAXLO Durometer (Olmos, Peru).
(26) Sugar and acidity measurements, ATAGO (Olmos, Peru)
(27) General Description: medium upright with a small size crown; moderately sweet, medium acid, firm and crunchy berry adapted to a low-chill and no-chill environment. ‘BB14-321NA-1’ blooms about 90 days after pruning in Peru, and from mid-May to July in the temperate area of Nancagua, Chile. The average 50% ripening date is 280 days after pruning in Peru, and in early October in Chile. Firmness ranges from 70 to 78 Baxlo Shore, Brix° from 10 to 12% and titratable acidity from 0.6 to 0.8% (Table 1) and a sugar to acid ratio of 18 to 20 in Chile. Storability is medium and it could last up to 25 days in cold storage. Specific features of the variety: Plant: Growth habit.—Upright. Plant width.—80 cm at mid-bush height. Plant height.—120 cm. Productivity.—1.9 kg per plant at year 2. Cold hardiness/tolerance.—Not tested. Chilling requirement.—This is no to low-chill highbush blueberry plant, it has a normal bud break in a low chill (200-400 Chill hour) environment as well as a no-chill environment of Peru. This is probably due to differences in the dormancy statues establish at the different latitudes. Canes.—Moderately branched, average 5 to 6 shoots per bush, average 80-90 cm length, medium number of laterals. Young current-season-shoots.—Yellow-Green Group 145A and B (