Water Loss in Storage 



Uniform samples of approximately 3000 g each 

 were selected from each cultivar. Half of the samples 

 were kept in paper bags while the other half were 

 placed in plastic-lined paper bags. All samples were 

 weighed and then placed in air storage at 32°F. Bags 

 were weighed every 2 weeks until February 28, 1989. 

 Fruit were examined at each weighing date to deter- 

 mine if any shriveling had occurred. 



Fruit stored in plastic-lined paper bags lost consid- 

 erably less weight than those in paper bags (Figure 2). 

 Gala stored in paper bags lost more weight in storage 

 than Mcintosh and they lost it more rapidly. If placed 

 in plastic-lined paper bags, fruit of both cultivars lost a 

 comparable amount of weight. 



Golden Delicious, one of the parents of Gala, com- 

 monly are stored in boxes lined with plastic. It appears 



that Gala will benefit similarly from storage in plastic 

 since weight loss and shriveling can be reduced. In 

 previous years shriveling was noted in October in the 

 storage but not until December in this investigation. 

 The summer of 1988 was the hottest in 50 years in 

 Massachusetts. Perhaps fruit developed a thicker cu- 

 ticle and less permeable wax under these stressful 

 conditions, which might have helped reduce water loss. 



Conclusions 



There was a strong preference for Gala by taste 

 panelists. Gala does not exhibit excessive preharvest 

 drop, and it is precocious and productive. We conclude 

 that Gala is a very promising new cultivar that appears 

 to be a viable alternative for growers who wish to 

 replace Mcintosh or to plant a cultivar that has a broad 

 customer appeal. 



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Pomological Note: 

 Blueberry Cultivar Update 



Dominic A. Marini 



Cooperative Extension, University of Massachusetts 



Dr. James Hancock, Michigan State University, 

 presented a talk on blueberry cultivars at the New 

 England Small Fruit and Vegetable Convention, No- 

 vember, 1989. Here I will outline some of his major 

 points. 



Dr. Hancock discussed cultivars from a number of 

 different aspects. For flavor, Darrow, Patriot, and 

 Spartan are preferred in Michigan. Bluecrop, Patriot, 

 Darrow, and Spartan are of the largest size. Bluetta, 

 Bluejay, Patriot, and Spartan are the highest yielding 

 early cultivars, while Bluecrop, Blueray, and North- 

 land are the heaviest yielding mid-season cultivars. 

 Elliot is very late and very high yielding. Darrow, 

 Elliot, and Lateblue have the most resistance to 

 mummy berry, while Bluecrop, Bluejay, Coville, Jer- 

 sey, and Spartan have moderate resistance. Suscep- 



tible cultivars include Berkeley, Blueray, Bluetta, and 

 Collins. Blueray, Lateblue, Northland, and Patriot are 

 very winter hardy, while Bluejay, Bluecrop, Collins, 

 and Jersey are hardy. Bluetta, Berkeley, and Coville 

 are the least winter hardy. Spartan blooms early and 

 thus is more likely to be injured by frost. The bloom 

 season of other cultivars is directly related to the time 

 of harvest 



On the basis of these characteristics Dr. Hancock 

 recommends the following cultivars: 

 Early season - Bluejay, Spartan, and Patriot (blooms 

 very early and could be hurt by frost); 

 Mid-season -- Blueray, Bluecrop, and Rubel; 

 Late season - Jersey and Elliot (may be too late in 

 cold areas). 



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Fruit Notes, Spring, 1990 



