Blueberry, Blueberry

Species in the section Cyanococcus are the most common fruits sold as "blueberries" and are mainly native to North America NC State Lecture:Blueberries for local sales and Pick-your-own Operations . They are usually erect but sometimes prostrate shrubs varying in size from 10 cm tall to 4 m tall. In commercial blueberry production, smaller species are known as "lowbush blueberries" (synonymous with "wild"), and the larger species as "highbush blueberries". The leaves can be either deciduous or evergreen, ovate to lanceolate, and from 18 cm long and 0.53.5 cm broad. The flowers are bell-shaped, white, pale pink or red, sometimes tinged greenish.

They have a sweet taste when mature, with variable acidity. Blueberry bushes typically bear fruit from May through June though fruiting times are affected by local conditions such as altitude and latitude.

In North America, the most common cultivated species is V. corymbosum , the Northern highbush blueberry. Hybrids of this with other Vaccinium species adapted to southern U.S. climates are known collectively as Southern highbush blueberries.

The lowbush blueberry, V. angustifolium , is found from the Atlantic provinces westward to Quebec and southward to Michigan and West Virginia. In some areas, it produces natural blueberry barrens , where it is the dominant species covering large areas. Several First Nations communities in Ontario are involved in harvesting wild blueberries. Lowbush species are fire-tolerant and blueberry production often increases following a forest fire as the plants regenerate rapidly and benefit from removal of competing vegetation.

The most important blueberry breeding program has been the USDA-ARS breeding program based at Beltsville, Maryland, and Chatsworth, New Jersey.

While Maine is the leader of lowbush blueberry production in the United States, Michigan is the leader in highbush production.

Due in part to declining frequency and intensity of spring frosts, Quebec's wild blueberry production (27 million kg in 2008) Quebec Wild Blueberries, 2008 harvest update.

New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island are other Atlantic provinces with major wild blueberry farming.

On the other hand, highbush blueberry cultivation started around the year of 2000 along with Black Sea Region has natural acidic soil and high rainfall. The first commercial blueberry orchard established by Osman Nuri YILDIZ and supervised by Dr. Huseyin CELIK who is the founder of Turkis Blueberry Cultivation.

Department of Agriculture. But that increase comes from a tiny base of 400 hectares in 2001 (to 1,600 hectares in 2004). The industry is new in the country and farmers are still learning the business. "Argentine blueberry production has thrived in three different regions: the province of Entre Rios in Northeastern Argentina, the province of Buenos Aires, near the countrys capital city Buenos Aires, and the southern Patagonian valleys," according to the report.

Introduction of the first plants started in the early 1980s and production started in the late 80s in the southern part of the country. Today production ranges from Copiap in the north to Puerto Montt in the south, which allows the country to offer blueberries from October through late March. The main production area today is the Bio Bio region. Production has evolved rapidly in the last decade, becoming the 4th most important fruit exported in value terms. Fresh market blueberries are exported mainly to North America (80%) followed by Europe (18%). Information from the Fruit Export Association, ( ASOEX , 2007) Chile exported in 2007 more than 21 thousand MT of fresh blueberries and more than 1,000 MT of frozen product. Most of the production comes from the highbush type, but several rabbiteye blueberries are grown in the country as well. Information taken from the Chilean Fruit Producers Federation ( FEDEFRUTA , 2007) and their Blueberry Committee, stands that there are over 800 blueberry producers with surfaces ranging from 50 to 200 hectares.

Premium blueberry jam, usually made from wild blueberries, is common in Maine, Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia.

Source: Wikipedia > Blueberry