Features Production Research
Presenting Prince, a new blueberry cultivar

November 17, 2008, Poplarville,
Miss. – Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have released a
new early-ripening blueberry cultivar that, when grown with other
blueberry varieties, will extend the growing and harvesting season.

November 17, 2008, Poplarville, Miss. – Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have released a new early-ripening blueberry cultivar that, when grown with other blueberry varieties, will extend the growing and harvesting season.

The new variety, named Prince, was developed at the ARS Southern Horticultural Laboratory in Poplarville, Miss. Prince produced high scores when tested over three years in several categories including colour, firmness, flavour and size.

Prince tends to have an extended bloom period, providing insurance against early spring frost and is adapted to hot and humid growing conditions. Most notably, Prince ripens four to five days earlier than the earliest-ripening blueberry varieties.

A cross between MS 598 and Florida 80-11, Prince blueberries are medium in size and colour with a mild flavour. The cultivar was named Prince as a result of observations by retired ARS scientist and blueberry breeder Arlen Draper, who often commented that one has to “kiss a lot of frogs before finding a prince.”