cultivar traits and characteristics for mechanical harvest for fresh markets and progress in...
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Cultivar Traits and Characteristics for Mechanical Harvest for Fresh Markets and Progress in Southern Highbush Breeding
James OlmsteadIn-Service Training – May 13, 2014
Estimated Net Return ($/plant)
Kim Morgan – Va. Tech. Univ.
• Fresh or Process? Does it matter?
• What can we learn from current cultivars that don’t work well?
• MFF is not necessarily a new idea
• Probably more happening than we know about
Machine Harvest for Fresh Market (MFF)
• Early ripening, ≈9 days before ‘Star’
• Darker berry color, lower firmness
• Vigorous, upright growth habit, excellent field survival
‘Springhigh’(USPP # 16,404 )
• Harvest frequently or packing and postharvest problems – wet scar
• Low chill requirement
• Vigorous, spreading bush
• Tight clusters
• High yield potential
‘Emerald’(USPP # 12,165 )
• Long harvest period
• Large fruit size, good quality
Some Trait Priorities Don’t Change
• Maturity season
• Disease tolerance
• Fruit quality• Small, dry stem scar• Large size• Blue color• High firmness / crisp• Good sugar/acid ratio
• High yield
Architecture
• Good anchorage, upright, narrow base, not too dense
00.25 0.5
0.750000000000002 11.25 1.5
1.75 22.25 2.5
2.75 33.25 3.5
3.75 44.25 4.5
4.7505
1015202530
Bin
Freq
uenc
y
Southern Belle = 1.34F1 = 1.14
Architecture• Sparkleberry (V. arboreum) introgression
H.P. Rodriguez-Armenta – UF
Architecture
• Must consider harvester technology
• Often horticultural manipulations (pruning, training, trellis, etc.) can be effectively utilized
Harvest Timing• Even, condensed
maturity period
• Fruit holding ability on bush
Harvest Timing
Total pounds/week for 5 bushes (3-yr old planting)
Week of Year FL06-377 FL05-619 Jewel5 0.60 0.00 0.006 0.00 0.00 0.007 0.24 0.00 0.008 0.18 0.00 0.009 0.00 0.00 0.00
10 0.73 0.01 0.0011 0.55 0.01 0.0012 1.10 0.09 0.0013 0.75 0.20 0.0014 0.86 1.10 1.1415 0.96 1.71 1.6916 0.54 1.59 3.3417 0.69 1.29 0.9018 0.84 2.31 1.7419 0.28 0.68 0.18
Total (Pound/bush) 8.32 8.99 8.99Pound/acre (1800 plants) 14,900 16,100 16,100
Clusters
• Loose clusters are desirable
• Initial hand harvest will break up clusters for later machine harvest
Emerald Meadowlark
Detachment
• Low detachment force for mature blue fruit
Scar
• Small, dry stem scar
Rachel Itle – UF
Stems
• No stem retention
• Process lines have equipment for de-stemming
Color
• Full color – no green or red on stem end
• Heavy wax or bloom
Firmness
• High firmness
• Crisp fruit
Crisp Blueberry Texture
• Very firm, crunchy texture in select SHB cultivars (Indigocrisp, Bluecrisp, Sweetcrisp, Reveille, Dolores)– Holding ability on bush– Reduced bruising during machine harvest (Takeda
et al., 2013)– Increased postharvest longevity (Mehra et al.,
2013)
Texture Evaluations
Blaker et al., 2014
Segregation for Crisp Texture
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Mean Sensory Score
% S
ee
dli
ng
s i
n F
1 P
op
ula
tio
n
Sweetcrisp x FL 02-22 FL 98-325 x FL 02-22 FL 98-325 x FL 97-136
FL 03-161 x FL 98-325 FL 98-325 x Sweetcrisp
Kendra Blaker – UF
Trialing
MFF Comparison
Jeff Williamson – UF
MFF Comparison
• 100 MFF candidates identified and segregated by chill requirement. Trials in NC, GA, and FL
• 200 crisp selections identified for trialing in Florida and Georgia
Breeding for MFF
• Variation available for many important machine harvest traits
• Can we make adequate breeding progress by only machine harvesting at late stages of selection?
• The best picking strategy may be a combined hand harvest/machine harvest if labor is available.
• Interdisciplinary team required
Dr. Jim OlmsteadUF-IFAS Horticultural Sciences Dept.
2211 Fifield HallGainesville, FL 32611
(352) 273-4837http://www.hos.ufl.edu/faculty/jwolmstead