History Of Blueberry Plants

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Article Title:

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History Of Blueberry Plants

Article Description:

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Very few historical records exist on ancient blueberry culture in

the Greek and Roman empires. Those cultures did use parts of the

blueberry plants and fruit to eat or to treat ailments.

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1120 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line

Distribution Date and Time: 2007-01-08 14:36:00

Written By: Malcolm

Copyright: 2007

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History Of Blueberry Plants

Copyright © 2007 Malcolm

Ty Ty Nursery

http://www.tytyga.com

Very few historical records exist on ancient blueberry culture in

the Greek and Roman empires. Those cultures did use parts of the

blueberry plants and fruit to eat or to treat ailments. The size

and flavor of native blueberry plants was extremely variable, and

the USDA, modern, extensive research and development of choice

selections was judged on a basis of taste, yield of plants,

aroma, small berry seeds, and the lasting quality of the fresh

berries increased the popularity of this fruit in a period of

fifty years as one of America's favorite agricultural products.

Bartram, the early American botanist and explorer,

reported seeing various members of the native blueberry plant

relatives, Vaccinium varietas, as he and his father, Bartram

took an inventory of plants to establish on Georgia farms in his

book, Travels, in 1773.

Luther Burbank was perhaps America's most prolific hybridizer of

fruits, and he imported many native species of blueberries,

Vaccinium Spp., from other countries and reported in his book,

Small Fruits in 1921, that very little improvement had been made

to produce a commercially, improved blueberry bush. In recent

years the USDA has released excellent yielding blueberries that,

when fully ripened, are sweetly flavored, aromatically pleasing,

and easy to harvest. Some cultivars of blueberry plants can be

machine harvested. Fresh blueberries are available in United

States markets, beginning in April and extending until October.

Recent reports from health researchers have shown that blueberry

fruit is higher in antioxidants than any other fruit or

vegetable. These antioxidants block the presence of chemically

charged particles called, " free radicals, " that are believed to

be the threat that initiates disease problems. The antioxidants

are believed to be important in preventing cancer, stroke, heart

disease, and loss of memory resulting from Alzheimer's disease.

Chemically active anthocyanin pigments found in blueberries can

improve failing eyesight and can prevent macular disintegration

resulting from aging.

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, blueberries

fight urinary tract infections and help to prevent eye macular

degeneration, says Dr. Prior, director of the USDA. Early

Indian culture in America taught that eating blueberries was good

for coughs, and the blueberry bush leaves were used as a tea and

health tonic. The North American Blueberry Council says that

blueberry juice has higher concentrations of antioxidants than

any of the 40 juices tested. Other health benefits from

blueberries are Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin C,

Niacin, and the minerals calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and

iron.

Blueberries are loved by animals, birds, and many types of

wildlife, such as deer, duck, and even bears. The berries provide

wildlife a source of food over a very long period of feeding,

when food is scarce at off season periods. Birds sometimes can be

a pest to the backyard blueberry gardener, but the bird's

appetite can be overcome by either the use of a screen netting to

protect and cover the blueberry bushes, or a gardener can plant

enough blueberry bushes for his own growing needs and the birds

as well.

Blueberries are expected to rapidly become the most sought-after

small fruit on the American market. Fifty percent of blueberries

are grown for the fresh fruit market and Canada grows 25% of the

world demand for blueberries. Growing blueberry plants is easy,

but the culture differs considerably from growing other fruits

and berries.

If a blueberry gardener understands the origin of wild blueberry

plant occurrence, it is easy to predict the soil requirements

necessary to successfully grow blueberries. The blueberry plants

are found in the wild, growing on very poor, sandy soil with

roots that surround the underground layers of decayed organic

matter. The acidity or pH level is very low for wild blueberry

plants and the bushes prosper in this acid environment.

Fertilizer kills more blueberry plants than any other single

thing. Blueberry commercial production is highest in Michigan,

followed by Maine, New Jersey, Oregon, and Georgia. It is truly

amazing that the blueberry can be grown in the South into Florida

and then northwards to Arctic North America. Most blueberries are

cross pollinated by insects such as bees and bumblebees. Most

gardeners plant at least two different cultivars of blueberry

plants for the additional advantages of extending the ripening

season. Gardeners love planting a berry with no thorns to prick

fingers at picking time, the occurrence of tiny seeds that aid in

digestion, and the enjoyment of seeing the kaleidoscope of

rainbow colors during the winter after the first freeze.

Blueberry plants are among the most cold tolerant of all the

small fruits, and in the South, the plants often only lose the

leaves for a month, often blooming as early as January. Even if

the flowers of blueberries freeze, a second wave of flowering

will follow during later warm-ups in the weather.

Basically three types of blueberry are grown commercially in the

United States; the Northern Highbush blueberry, Vaccinium

corymbosum L.; the Southern Rabbiteye blueberry, Vaccinium ashei;

and the Lowbush blueberry, also called the Wild Lowbush

blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium.

The Northern Highbush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum L., is

grown in zones 4 to 7. Much of the early production appearing at

blueberry markets came from native blueberry plants, but new

cultivars of Northern Highbush blueberry plants are very

promising, such as: Bluejay blueberry, Bluecrop blueberry,

Blueray blueberry, Jersey blueberry, and Patriot blueberry.

USDA blueberry releases for Southern Rabbiteye blueberry,

Vaccinium ashei, have been numerous. These include the older

cultivars: Southland, Woodard, Bluebelle, Blue Gem, and more

recent blueberry releases are Tiftblue, Climax, Delite,

Brightblue, Brightwell, Bonita, Powderblue, and Austin

blueberry.

The Lowbush or Wild Blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium, is the

most cold hardy type of blueberry, and commercially the plants

are dwarf and only grow 1 to 2 feet tall. Most are not improved

varieties, but variable native bushes. One modern Lowbush

blueberry release is " Top Hat " blueberry, and the state of

Maine accounts for the largest production of Lowbush blueberry

bushes adaptable in zones 3 to 6.

In Florida and other various hot sections of the United States,

many of these blueberry species have been interhybridized and

complexly mixed to produce a wide array of plants adapted for hot

climates. These cultivars are Beckyblue blueberry, Aliceblue

blueberry, Sharpblue blueberry, Floridablue blueberry, Avonblue

blueberry, Blue Ridge blueberry, Cape Fear blueberry, Gulf Coast

blueberry, O'Neal blueberry, and Georgia Gem blueberry. These

blueberry plants are best grown in zones 7 to 10.

Blueberries have many valuable gourmet food uses as in blueberry

pancakes, blueberry pies, blueberry jam, blueberry juice, frozen

and canned blueberries, and drying under vacuum, the blueberries

can last for years to be rehydrated to eat in cereals and other

things. These dried blueberries are especially promising for use

in Army K ration canning in foreign countries.

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Written by: Malcolm. Learn more about various trees

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