Jewel

U.S. Patent PP11,807
Southern Highbush Blueberry Variety

General Description

Jewel is a mid-season cultivar with a somewhat high yield potential, but is susceptible to fungal leaf diseases.

Cultivar name: Jewel (selection code FL92-176)

Recommended for Florida: no, too late for the Florida market window.

FL region best adapted to: none

Production system: deciduous

Hydrogen cyanamide: Recommended; sensitive, requires a low dose

Machine Harvestability: No data yet; lower fruit firmness may not be ideal for machine harvesting.

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

o North-central FL (2018): 1.6 lbs/plant

o Central FL (2013-2014): 3.5 – 4.8 lbs/plant, average 4.1 lbs/plant

Known disease susceptibility: susceptible to fungal leaf diseases, including rust and target spot

Known insect damage susceptibility: some susceptibility to chilli thrips injury has been observed.

Fruit quality data:

o Fruit firmness: 166 – 205 g/mm, average 180 g/mm, lower than Emerald

o Berry Weight: 1.7 – 2.5 grams, average 2.2 grams, similar to Emerald

o Berry Diameter: 15.4 – 17.7 mm, average 17.0 mm, smaller than Emerald

o Brix: 10.2 – 11.6, average 11.1, similar to Emerald

o Brix/Acid Ratio: 20.6 – 32.5, average 26.4, higher than Emerald

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

o Wax/bloom: medium

o Fruit defects: none observed

o Flavor Score: 25.4 – reference Emerald (19.9), Kestrel (29.0)

o Aroma: none

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

Other information: Fruit softer than Emerald. Berries tart until fully ripe.

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

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Performance 2018 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)