Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 9.5
Field plantation of blackberry cv. Metolius in Oregon, USA
ing high-yielding cultivars that are thornless and produce fruit with outstanding qual-
ity and that are easy to harvest. In the case of the breeding programs for processing
blackberries, the most important characteristics include excellent fruit quality, which
includes intense colour and flavour with high sugar and acid levels that make them
a better processed fruit, and fruit that are machine harvestable. In the case of the
breeding programs for fresh market types, excellent fruit quality includes firm fruit
that can be harvested firm black with sweet flavour and tough skin. Recently breeders
have developed erect cultivars that fruit on current season's growth. These primocane-
fruiting cultivars are well suited to the fresh market.
Commercial Production
North America is the world's leading production area (Finn and Clark
2011
).
Central Mexico has the greatest fresh- market production of fruit in the northern
hemisphere's winter. California, followed by the southeast and northwest U.S., is
the major fresh market production area during the summer and Oregon is the lead-
ing producer for processing (Fig.
9.5
). There is scattered fresh market production in
Europe and Asia, and Serbia is a major producer for the processing market.
Blackberries are grown in perennial cropping systems with some sort of trellis.
The floricanes are removed after they are done fruiting and the new primocanes
trained to the trellis for production in the following year. The erect and semi-erect
