Page 46 - CFAN_Jun2014

harvesting need to produce fruit irm enough to Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) in Gainesville.

withstand damage during the picking process. “A lot of A simulated mechanical harvest at Archer showed
growers are interested in planting irm fruited varieties grated plants had 40 percent fewer ground losses than

because they want to have the option of machine those on their own roots. But it will likely take at least
harvesting if their labor supply is not suicient,” Dr. ive years to know how grated trees will perform,

Williamson points out. “It gives them a little bit of a researchers say. “he only way to do it is to observe
plan B. Even though plan B isn’t proven.”
them over time and see how they do in a commercial

ield,” Dr. Williamson explains. On the surface, it appears to be a lot cheaper to
continued from previous page
While researchers don’t really likely run a mechanical harvester
But it will take at
grating current blueberry varieties onto sparkleberry know how the sparkleberry ive years know through the berry ields.
least to grated trees
rootstocks. Trial plantings have only been in the rootstock will afect fruit quality,
how will Dudley Calfee, president of
ground for three years at Citra and Archer. he hope it is not expected to have any performthe Florida Blueberry Growers
, researchers say.
is that they will grow in soils not ideal for blueberries, signiicant impact. “We don’t
Association, estimates it costs
with less organic matter, Dr. Darnell reports.
have a reason to believe it’s going to drastically 25 to 30 cents per pound to machine harvest, compared

“Our research is fairly new, with a couple years change the characteristics of the fruit of a given to an estimated 85 cents to $1.10 per pound for hand
of evaluation of the rootstocks. here are some cultivar,” Dr. Williamson says.
picking. But the critical diference is in the cull rate—

encouraging results,” adds Bruno Casamali, a master’s Meanwhile, the UF breeding program also is how many berries make it through quality control ater
candidate at UF’s Horticultural Sciences Department looking at sparkleberry. “We’re trying to bring those machine harvesting. “You can toss around a lot of

who experiments with the blueberry varieties grated valuable traits from sparkleberry into blueberry,” numbers. It depends on your individual deal,” Calfee

onto sparkleberry rootstocks.
states Dr. Jim Olmstead, who operates UF’s blueberry asserts.
Blueberries prefer an acidic soil, while sparkleberries breeding program.
“he industry in Florida is a hand harvested

will tolerate a higher soil pH, according to Dr. Jef Most of the mechanical harvesting is done at the end industry,” Dr. Williamson adds. “hat’s its history, and
Williamson, an extension specialist for blueberries of the season when labor supply becomes limited and where it still is” for the present. ag

at the University of Florida/Institute of Food and
prices have dropped. Varieties suitable for mechanical

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