Mississippi Blues: Three new blueberry varieties were bred specifically for the Southeast's climate

摘要

AFTER more than two decades of research, scientists at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have successfully bred three new varieties of blueberries designed to withstand the heat of the South while maintaining high-quality taste and a plump consistency. Locally grown blueberries were nonexistent in Mississippi just 30 years ago due to the state's heat, humidity, abundant insect population, and occasional late-spring freezes. Today, however, the breeding program at the ARS Southern HorticulturalLaboratory in Poplarville, MS, has produced Gupton, DeSoto, and Dixieblue. All three varieties were already released to nurseries, and will be available for sale in about a year-and-a-half. Each variety offers its own unique benefits to blueberry growers in the South.