Blackberries in Oregon

8/6/2019 Blackberries in Oregon

1/12

There are three main types of blackberries grown:

trailing, erect, and semi-erect. Several hybrids between

raspberry and trailing blackberry have been developed,

including Logan, Tayberry, and Boysen. Since

these grow like a trailing blackberry and need to be

managed in the same way, this publication includes

them with that group.

In this publication we briey describe each typeof blackberry. Tables 15 list the primary cultivars in

approximate order of ripening within each type.

Trailing blackberries. The main species in the

background of the trailing blackberry isRubus ursinus,

which is native along the Pacic Coast from British

Columbia, Canada, to California, and inland to the

Idaho mountains. Trailing blackberries produce vigor-

ous primocanes (rst-year, vegetative canes) from the

base (crown) of the plant. Primocanes trail along the

ground and may grow to 20 feet long. Primocanes are

produced only from the crown, not from roots, so thistype of blackberry is less invasive than many others. A

trellis is needed to support the canes.

Second-year canes, known as oricanes, produce

fruit. In general, trailing blackberries produce berries

that are long in shape, have relatively small seeds, and

have a highly aromatic, intense avor.

In Oregon, fruit ripens from mid-June to August,

depending on cultivar. The fruiting season for each

cultivar lasts about 4 weeks.

Trailing blackberries are considered the least cold-

hardy of the three types of blackberries. Expect dam-

age to buds and canes when temperatures drop belowabout 13F in December or early January. Plants are

more sensitive to cold in late fall and late winter, when

damage might occur at much warmer temperatures (in

the 20sF). Trailing blackberries grow well west of the

Cascades in Oregon and southern Washington, although

some damage might occur in particularly cold winters.

The USDA-ARSOregon State University coop-

erative breeding program developed and released

Pacic and Cascade in the 1940s. However, the

release of Olallie and its offspring Marion in the

1950s really changed the commercial blackberry

industry. The USDA-ARSOSU cooperative breed-

ing program continues to breed this type of blackberry,

with a primary goal of producing thornless blackberries

for processing and fresh markets.

A second species of trailing blackberry,Rubus

laciniatus (the cutleaf or evergreen blackberry), was

BlackBerry cultivarsfor oregon

Chad E. Finn, berry crops geneticist, USDA-ARS, HCRL,

Corvallis, Oregon; and Bernadine C. Strik, Extension berry

crops professor, Oregon State University.

EC 1617-E uMarch 2008

C.E. Finn and B.C. Strik

Metolius (trailing)


2/12

2

imported from Europe in the late 1800s and led to what

is still a strong industry in Oregon. Evergreen and

another introduced species from Europe, Himalaya

(Rubus procerus, syn.R. armeniacus), have natural-

ized throughout much of the Pacic Northwest and are

considered noxious weeds.

Trailing blackberry cultivars are listed in Table 1(pages 46).

Erect blackberries were developed from very

different eastern native blackberries. Erect blackberries

produce stiff, upright canes that may grow to 12 feet

in Oregon if left unpruned. Plants can colonize an area

by producing new primocanes (suckers) from the roots.

Plants form a hedgerow and benet from having some

trellis support. Summer prune or tip primocanes to

encourage branches and increase fruit production on

the second-year oricanes.

Erect blackberries produce fruit with relativelylarge seeds. Flavor and aroma are not considered as

intense as in many of the trailing blackberry cultivars.

Although many erect blackberries taste good, berries

often have a grassy, green, or bitter avor that

some people dont like. These berries are commonly

grown for the fresh market, as the berries are rmer

than most trailing types.

In Oregon, fruit ripens from early July to August.

Most available cultivars come from the University of

Arkansas breeding program and have Native American

names.

Erect blackberry cultivars are listed in Table 2(page 7).

Primocane-fruiting erect blackberries are a

recent development (2005) from the University of

Arkansas. This is the only type of blackberry that pro-

duces fruit on the tips of the primocanes or on primo-

cane branches. This characteristic offers advantages

for easier management, as the canes can be cut to the

ground in the dormant season, and fruit is produced

from late summer through early fall. The fruit ripens

from September through October, depending on the

climate.

Primocane-fruiting blackberries will produce a

oricane crop the following year on the part of the cane

that did not fruit the previous fall; however, we recom-

mend growing these cultivars only for a fall crop. See

Growing Blackberries in Your Home Garden (EC 1303)

for more information.

Primocane-fruiting erect cultivars are listed in

Table 3 (page 8). The rst primocane-fruiting cultivars

have fair quality, but we expect better cultivars to bereleased in the near future.

Semi-erect blackberry plants are thornless and

produce very vigorous, thick, erect canes from the

crown. The canes grow up to 20 feet long and arch to

the ground if left unpruned. No primocanes are pro-

duced from the roots. Prune primocanes in summer to

encourage branching and increase fruit production on

the second-year oricanes. A trellis is required to sup-

port canes.

Semi-erect blackberries will, in general, produce a

higher yield than trailing or erect types. Fruit quality issimilar to that of erect blackberries.

In Oregon, fruit ripens from late July to early

October, depending on cultivar. Many of the available

cultivars were developed by the USDA-ARS in Illinois

and Maryland.

The introduced weed, Himalaya, has a growth

habit most similar to the semi-erect types.

Semi-erect cultivars are listed in Table 4

(pages 910).

Blackberry/red raspberry hybrids generally

have been developed unintentionally. Most have been

found in plots or in the wild where red raspberry hasbeen grown withR. ursinus. Despite their purple-to-red

fruit color, they are technically blackberries because the

receptacle (white core) comes off with the fruit when

it is picked. (In red raspberries, the receptacle stays on

the plant.)

These hybrids are considered trailing blackberries

due to their growth habit. While Boysen and Logan

historically have been very important in the commer-

cial industry, commercial acreage of these hybrids,

particularly Logan, has declined steadily. Other

hybrids that are sold occasionally include Tayberry

and Tummelberry.

Blackberry/raspberry hybrids are listed in Table 5

(page 11).


3/12

3

Cultivar notesTables 15 list the primary cultivars of

each type of blackberry. Within each type,

cultivars are listed in approximate order of

ripening.

Note that not all of the listed cultivars

are available in nurseries.

For more information on growth habit

and how to manage blackberries, see

Growing Blackberries in Your Home Gar-

den, EC 1303.

Fruit descriptions and yieldYield ratings are based on comparison to

other cultivars of the same type.

Assessments of fruit quality, includingavor, were primarily based on plants grown

in Corvallis or Aurora, Oregon. These traits,

particularly avor, can vary tremendously

based on location (especially temperature

and rainfall), cultural practice, and, of course,

personal preference.

Commercial valueA commercial value score is provided to

help commercial growers select appropriate

cultivars:

1 = Appropriate for most commercial

operations for fresh or processed

markets

2 = May have commercial value but:

(a) not enough is known about its

performance, or

(b) may meet a specic requirement

(e.g., unique color or very early har-

vest), but has a negative trait such as

low yield or poor shipping quality

3 = Unlikely to have good commercial

value

Home gardensCultivars that are well suited to home

garden production are noted as such.

Black Diamond (trailing)

Marion (trailing)

Boysen (blackberry/red raspberry hybrid)


4/12

4

Table 1. Trailing blackberry cultivarsCultivars are listed in approximate order o ripening.

Cultivar

Plant

Fruit

Yield

Market

Machineharvest

Obsidian Very vigorous,

thorny

Large, good rmness, black, air

shape, excellent favor, very earlyripening

Very high Primarily

resh butprocesseswell

Metolius Vigorous, thorny Medium size, rm, black, excel-lent uniorm shape, excellentfavor, very early ripening

High Primarilyresh butprocesseswell

Silvan Very vigorous,thorny

Large, sot, dark purple, airshape, excellent favor

Very high Processed

Siskiyou Vigorous, thorny Very large, rm, dark purple,excellent but blunt-tipped shape,excellent favor, early ripening

Varies romlow to high

Primarilyresh butprocesseswell

Black Butte Vigorous, thorny Extremely large (2"+ long!), airrmness, black, very uniormshape, air favor, early ripening

Medium Fresh only,processedquality is air

Cascade Vigorous, thorny Small to medium, sot, purple,excellent favor, early ripening

Low tomedium

Processed

Pacifc Vigorous, thorny Small, sot, purple, excellentfavor but more acidic thanCascade, early ripening

Low tomedium

Processed

Santiam Very vigorous,thorny

Small to medium, sot, black,excellent favor

Medium Processed


5/12

5


Cultivar

Plant

Fruit

Yield

Market

Machineharvest

Olallie Very vigorous,

thorny

Medium size, sot, black, lumpy

shape, excellent favor, earlyripening

Low to

medium

Primarily

resh butprocesseswell

BlackDiamond

Vigorous,thornless

Large, rm, black, very uniormshape, good favor

Medium tohigh

Fresh orprocessed

Kotata Very vigorous,very thorny

Small to medium, good rm-ness, dark purple, uniorm shape,excellent favor

Medium Fresh orprocessed

Marion(oten calledmarion-berry)

Very vigorous,thorny

Medium size, sot, dark purple,uneven shape, excellent favor

High Processed

Black Pearl Vigorous,thornless

Medium size, moderate rmness,black, uniorm shape, somewhatangular (vs. rounded) drupeletshape, excellent favor

Medium tohigh

Processed

Wild Treasure

(ORUS1843-3)

Thornless, very

vigorous, but thincanes (Canes breakeasily, so commer-cial growers shoulduse alternate-yearproduction sys-tems or train canesvery gently to avoidbreakage.)

Small, medium rmness, dark

purple, very uniorm shape,excellent favor

Low to

high,dependingon amounto damageduring canetraining

Processed,

particularlysmall ruitmarket

(continued)


6/12

6


Cultivar

Plant

Fruit

Yield

Market

Machineharvest

Nightall Vigorous,

thornless

Medium size, good rmness,

black, good but tart favor, lateripening

High Processed

Waldo Vigorous,thornless

Medium size, good rmness,black, good favor, late ripening

High Processed

ThornlessEvergreen

Vigorous, thorn-less (This is athornless orm oEvergreen, but theplant is not geneti-cally thornless;

when the canes areinjured or pruned,thorny canes canbe produced. SeeEverthornless(below) or thegenetically thorn-less clone o thiscultivar.)

Small, sot, black, mild but goodfavor, AugustSeptember ripen-ing season, prone to gray moldater all rains

High Processed

Everthornless Vigorous, thorn-less, this plant willalways be thornless

Small, sot, black, mild but goodfavor, AugustSeptember ripen-ing season, prone to gray mold

ater all rains

High Processed

(continued)


7/12

7

Table 2. Erect blackberry cultivarsCultivars are listed in approximate order o ripening.

Cultivar

Plant

Fruit

Yield

Market

Machineharvest

Cherokee Vigorous, very

thorny

Medium size, rm, tough skin,

black, glossy, round, lumpy, airfavor

Medium Fresh

Arapaho Low to moder-ate vigor, thorn-less, susceptibleto primocane tipdieback

Small to medium, rm, toughskin, black, glossy, round, lumpy,prone to sunburn (UV damage),air favor

Low Fresh

Natchez Vigorous,thornless

Large to very large, very rm,black, glossy, picks easily; seedy,air favor

Medium Fresh

Shawnee Vigorous, verythorny

Medium to large, moderatelyrm, black, glossy, round, lumpy,prone to sunburn (UV damage),air favor

Medium Fresh

Kiowa Vigorous, verythorny

Medium to large, good rmness,tough skin, black, glossy, oblong,air favor

Medium Fresh

Chickasaw Vigorous, verythorny

Large to very large, air rmness,tough skin, black, glossy, round,very lumpy, seedy, prone to sun-burn (UV damage), poor favor

Medium Fresh

Ouachita Vigorous, verythorny

Medium size, rm, tough skin,attractive, black, glossy, round,prone to sunburn (UV damage),poor favor

Medium Fresh

Apache Vigorous, thornless Large, rm, tough skin, black,glossy, round, lumpy, seedy,prone to sunburn (UV damage),air favor

Medium Fresh


8/12

8

Table 2. Erect blackberry cultivarsCultivars are listed in approximate order o ripening.

Cultivar

Plant

Fruit

Yield

Market

Machineharvest

Navaho Moderate vigor,

thornless

Small to medium, rm, tough

skin, attractive, black, glossy,round, good favor

Medium Fresh

Table 3. Primocane-ruiting erect blackberry cultivars

CultivarPlant

Fruit

Yield

Market

Machineharvest

Cv

Prime-Jan Very vigorous,very thorny

Medium to large,sot to medium-

rm, moderatelytender skin, black,glossy, seedy, airfavor, season isrom late August torst rost.

Medium Fresh 2u

Prime-Jim Vigorous, verythorny

Large, sot tomedium-rm,moderately tenderskin, black, glossy,seedy, air favor,season is rom lateAugust to rst rost

Medium Fresh 2u

(continued)


9/12

9

Table 4. Semi-erect blackberry cultivarsCultivars are listed in approximate order o ripening.

Cultivar

Plant

Fruit

Yield

Market

Machineharvest

Loch Tay Moderate vigor,

thornless

Small, air rmness, attractive,

black, glossy, round, air favor,very early ripening

Medium Fresh

Loch Ness Moderate vigor,thornless

Medium, air rmness, attractive,black, glossy, oblong, prone tosunburn (UV damage), air favor

Medium Fresh

HullThornless

Vigorous, thornless Medium size, air rmness, black,glossy, round, prone to sunburn(UV damage), air favor

Medium Fresh

Triple Crown Vigorous, thornless Medium to large, air rmness,attractive, black, glossy, round,

lumpy, prone to sunburn (UVdamage), good favor

Medium Fresh

Doyles Vigorous, thornless Small to medium, air rmness,black, glossy, round, lumpy,noticeable large seeds, poor toair favor

Medium Fresh

Note: Doyles is occasionally widely advertised nationally with particular ocus on its high yields. In our trials at the NortExtension Center, Aurora, Oregon, yield is good but not outstanding, and the ruit size and quality are less than the standThornless and Triple Crown.


10/12

10

Table 4. Semi-erect blackberry cultivarsCultivars are listed in approximate order o ripening.

Cultivar

Plant

Fruit

Yield

Market

Machineharvest

Black Satin Moderate vigor,

thornless

Small to medium, sot, attractive,

black, glossy, round, prone tosunburn (UV damage), air favor

Medium Fresh

Smoothstem Vigorous, thornless Small to medium, sot, attractive,black, glossy, round, prone tosunburn (UV damage), air favor

Medium Fresh

DirksenThornless

Vigorous, thornless Small to medium, sot, attractive,black, glossy, prone to sunburn(UV damage), poor favor

Medium Fresh

Thornree Vigorous, thornless Small to medium, sot, black,glossy, round, lumpy, prone tosunburn (UV damage), air favor

Medium Fresh

ChesterThornless

Vigorous, thornless Small to medium, rm, toughskin, attractive, black, glossy,round, prone to sunburn (UVdamage), air favor

Very high Fresh

(continued)


11/12

11

Table 5. Blackberry/red raspberry hybridsCultivars are listed in approximate order o ripening.

Cultivar

Plant

Fruit

Yield

Market

Machineharvest

Logan

(oten calledloganberry)

Moderate vigor,

thorny (ThornlessLogan is available,but it is not geneti-cally thornless andwill produce thornycanes), canes aresusceptible todisease

More like raspberry than black-

berry in color and favor, mediumsize, deep raspberry color andshape, excellent rmness buttender skin, excellent but distinc-tive favor, hard to pick

Low to

medium

Processed

Tayberry Moderate vigor,thornless

Medium size, glossy, reddishpurple, good rmness but tenderskin, excellent but unique tartfavor, very hard to pick, ruit

damaged easily by hot weather

Low Processed

Boysen(oten calledboysenberry)

Very vigorous,thorny (Thorn-less clones arenot geneticallythornless and will

produce thornycanes.)

Large, sot, lumpy, purple, uniqueand very good favor

High Processed

Note: Nectarberry and Youngberry are very similar to Boysen.


12/12

What i you fnd a cultivar thats noton these lists?

Find out as much about it as you can, such as its growth

habit, hardiness, fruit characteristics, disease susceptibility,

and machine harvestability (commercial growers).Remember that if you purchase a cultivar that is not on

these lists, it probably has not been extensively tested in

Oregon.

Its best to try some plants rst and see how well the

cultivar grows and how you like the fruit.

2008 Oregon State University

Trade-name cultivars are listed as illustrations only. The OSU Extension Service does not endorse any listed cultivar or intend any discrimination against others

not listed.

This publication was produced and distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914. Extension work is a cooperative program of

Oregon State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Oregon counties.

Oregon State University Extension Service offers educational programs, activities, and materials without discrimination based on age, color, disability, gender

identity or expression, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veterans status. Oregon State University Extension Service is an

Equal Opportunity Employer.

Published March 2008.

Navaho (erect)

Triple Crown (semi-erect)

For more inormationGrowing Blackberries in Your Home Garden,

EC 1303 (revised 2008)

Web: extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/

Fax: 541-737-0817

E-mail: [email protected]

Phone: 541-737-2513

Online inormation

USDA Agricultural Research Service Small

Fruit Breeding Program

http:///www.ars.usda.gov/Research/docs.

htm?docid=15551

Blackberries in Oregon

Documents

Transcript of Blackberries in Oregon