Primadonna

U.S. Patent PP20,181
Southern Highbush Blueberry Variety

Description

Primadonna is early and has machine harvesting potential.

Cultivar name: Primadonna

Recommended for Florida: no

FL region best adapted to: none

Production system: deciduous

Hydrogen cyanamide: recommended; sensitive, requires a very low dose

Machine Harvestability: Possible; performed well in grower-reported machine harvesting

Per plant yields (Density 1,452-1,742 plants/acre):

o North-central FL (2019): 6.9 lbs/plant

Known disease susceptibility: Botryosphaeria stem blight

Known insect damage susceptibility: none observed to date

Fruit quality data:

o Fruit firmness: 203 – 228 g/mm, average 217 g/mm, higher than Emerald

o Berry Weight: 2.1 – 2.6 grams, average 2.3 grams, similar to Emerald

o Berry Diameter: 17.0 mm, smaller than Emerald

o Brix: 11.3 – 12.9, average 12.1, higher than Emerald

o Brix/Acid Ratio: 29.1 – 87.5, average 58.9, much higher than Emerald

o Fruit scar: normal (small and dry), similar to Emerald

o Wax/bloom: medium, similar to Emerald

o Fruit defects: none observed

o Flavor Score 24.3 – reference Emerald (19.9), Kestrel (29.2)

o Aroma: low

Cultivars with overlapping timing of flowering: Emerald, Farthing, Jewel, Magnus, Meadowlark

Other information: good natural leafing, mid-size berry may not be preferred by pickers, may require freeze protection in January

License availability: For a list of current nursery licensees in the USA, click here

Performance 2018-2019 Season

Fruit Quality and Yield

The following plots show the most important fruit quality traits and yield, across the season.

The vertical lines in the yield plots indicate when 10%, 50% and 90% of the harvest was achieved during the season.

Dotted lines indicate the desired values for new cultivars:

Berry weight greater than 2g
Fruit Diameter greater than 14mm
Firmness higher than 150g/mm
Brix higher than 10%
TTA less than 1%
Brix/TTA higher than 14 units

Warning: Yield plot coming from harvesting of two bushes. Values may seem overestimated as all the fruit from the bush is harvested, and because this is harvest yield and no packed yield. Use this data to compare among cultivars and no to predict potential yield on your farm.

Measurements are in grams (g). To convert from grams to pounds (lb) use the following formula:

lb of fruit per bush = (g of fruit) x (0.002204)