Ecuador obtains new variety of thornless blackberry

Ecuadorian technicians and researchers today reported obtaining a new variety of thornless blackberry, which is characterized by a greater brix level, better fruit size and better productivity.

The specialists of the Programa Nacional de Fruticultura del Instituto Nacional Autónomo de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIAP) stated that the experimental yields obtained with this strain range between 12 and 18 kg per plant per year.

This productivity depends on crop management, and generates outputs between 20 and 30 tons per hectare per year, with sugar content exceeding 12 brix.

After three years of research on genetic improvement, the experts were able to identify and select materials from the blackberry whose relevant characteristics are that they do not have thorns, which facilitates the management of plantations. Traditional varieties have thorns, interfering with their management and causes injury to fruit pickers.

They managed to obtain strains that are well suited to low-lying areas between 2000 to 2400m above sea level; to buffer zones between 2000 to 2400/ 2600m high and in altitudes of between 2600 to 3000 meters above sea level.

Blackberry is a crop traditionally cultivated in several provinces of the Ecuadorian Highlands and requires fertile soil. It is grown between rows of three meters and two meters between plant to plant, generating a density of 666 thousand plants per hectare.

The selections obtained were kept in evaluation and monitoring, at least one of the new varieties of thornless blackberry is expected to be out in late 2010 for agricultural use.

Source: www.prensa-latina.cu