Commercial blueberry production coming soon to northern Canada

摘要

An Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) research team in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador is crossing cultivated (highbush) blueberries with their high-in-antioxidants, extremely cold hardy wild (lowbush) cousins in hopes of developing a mid-high hybrid suitable for northern Canadian commercial production.In late summer and early fall each year, Newfoundland and Labrador locals head outdoors in search of wild blueberries. The berries, prized for their exceptional taste and high level of antioxidants, thrive in the regions acidic soil despite frigidly coldwinters. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for cultivated blueberries. To date, no commercial blueberry farming has been successful in Newfoundland and Labrador- or, for that matter, many other parts of Canada- because commercial cultivars cannot survive long, harsh winters. That may soon change, thanks to a new effort by AAFC researchers tocreate cold, hardy hybrids by crossing wild and cultivated blueberries.