Evaluation of Blackberry Cultivars and Breeding Selections for Fruit Quality Traits and Flowering and Fruiting Dates

Consumer interest in blackberry (Rubus spp.) has increased, in part, due to reputed health- conferring qualities. Reports of blackberry anti- oxidant capacity have used limited numbers of genotypes, so the objective of this research was to characterize a relatively large number of diverse blackberry cultivars and breeding selections from multiple breeding programs for important fruit quality traits, key fl avor compo- nents, and season traits to better defi ne ranges for and correlations between these traits. A col- lection of 113 blackberry genotypes was evalu- ated for fruit antioxidant capacity as measured by oxygen radical absorbance capacity, total phenolics, total anthocyanins, percentage of soluble solids, titratable acids, fl owering dates, and fruiting dates. A wide range was observed for all traits: threefold variation in antioxidants, twofold range in percentage soluble solids and titratable acids, over 50-d difference for start of fl owering and fruiting, and a 30-d difference in fruit development periods. Interestingly, the date of fi rst fl ower was correlated with most other traits: late-fl owering genotypes tended to be higher in antioxidant capacity and higher in percentage of soluble solids.

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