Titan: A New Large Fruited Blueberry

Summary

The UGA Blueberry Breeding Program has developed a new blueberry named 'Titan'. This will offer commercial growers as well as homeowners a well adapted variety with very large berries. Fruit are the largest for any rabbiteye variety released to date.

Situation

Blueberries have become a major commercial agricultural commodity in Georgia, with most of the production being derived from the rabbiteye blueberry species. Rabbiteye varieties are easier to grow in many respects when compared to other blueberry species, which also makes them ideal for home gardeners, however, the species has typically been characterized by small berry size. Many commercial growers, consumers, home gardeners, and pick your own customers prefer large fruited blueberries for their harvest efficiency and for their eating pleasure. Hence, improvements in the size of rabbiteye blueberry fruit would benefit blueberry enthusiasts across the Southeastern US.

Response

The University of Georgia Blueberry Breeding Program has accelerated development of blueberry varieties in the past 15 years to facilitate commercial and home garden demands for new varieties. As many as 4500 new blueberry selections are produced and screened annually to obtain elite selections with highly desirable traits for advanced testing. These elite selections are then planted at multiple locations in Georgia including on-farm test sites. The lengthy and detailed testing of selections and interaction with growers to obtain their input during the process helps to provide timely new varieties to enhance both commercial and home garden growers.

Impact

After years of selecting and testing, 'Titan' blueberry has been developed to offer the largest berry size for a rabbiteye blueberry to date. When grown under suitable conditions, 'Titan' berries can be 2 to 3 times larger than typical rabbiteye varieties, often being larger in diameter than a $0.25 coin! The new variety also has very firm fruit that holds on the bush extremely well during ripening which allows berries to achieve an even greater size. The high degree of berry firmness makes 'Titan' suitable for mechanical harvesting. The plant is very vigorous, and has proven to be well adapted across Georgia and the Southeastern US. 'Titan' is sure to become popular with commercial growers, home gardeners, and small pick-your-own farms due to its giant berry size. 'Titan' is a patented variety and can only be propagated by licensed growers. For information on 'Titan' licensing and to obtain a list of licensed growers, contact UGARF's Technology Commercialization Office.

State Issue

Agricultural Profitability and Sustainability

Details

• Year: 2012
• Geographic Scope: Multi-State/Regional
• County: Spalding
• Program Areas:
  • Agriculture & Natural Resources