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Home-Journal Online-2025 No.3

Breeding report of a new blueberry cultivar Fengkelai

Online:2025/3/28 9:10:40 Browsing times:
Author: WEN Lizhu, XIONG Xihai, SUN Jiayi, SONG Qingqiu, LÜ Zixi, LI Qixuan, WANG Nan, ZHANG Wenji, WANG Hexin, LIU Guoling, XU Guohui
Keywords: Blueberry; New cultivar; Fengkelai
DOI: 10.13925/j.cnki.gsxb.20240515
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PDF Abstract

Fengkelai is a new and distinct cultivar with storage- resistant and productive features, derived from the northern highbush blueberry. It was formerly known as the Senmao 353. Fengkelai was selected from sown seedlings of the blueberry variety Sunrise, which belongs to the genus Vaccinium L. in the family Ericaceae, and is a third-generation health-care berry fruit crop. This cultivar is suitable for the north region of the Yangtze River or high altitude areas in China, with high sweetness, delicate juice, high yield and good flavor with aroma, and also suitable for the early-season fresh market. In July 2010, H. Wang collected the seeds of Sunrise from the blueberry germplasm resource nursery of Dalian Senmao Modern Agriculture Co. Ltd. (Xinshi Village, Huajia Street, Jinzhou New Zone, Dalian). The seeds germinated in Spring 2011 and 236 seedlings grew. These seedlings were later transferred to the Experimental Station of Dalian Pushilan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., in spring of 2012. (Shuangsheng village, Changling town, Zhuanghe City, Dalian, Liaoning province) at a row spacing of 1.5 m with 2.0 m between plants. In late June 2015, G. Xu evaluated and selected the best progeny from them, with one of them numbered Senmao 353. After evaluation, the blueberry of Senmao 353 showed large fruit size, medium fruit density, erect sepal attachment position, flat- round shape, medium blue color (102-B), good powder and uniform texture, small fruit picking scar, high sweetness, medium acid, good flavor and aroma, high firmness, good productivity, and high appeal for fresh fruit market. The ripeninperiod in the natural state is around the second half of June, and it is an early-maturing variety. Fengkelai has medium thickness and uniform distribution of pollen, and medium firmness of fruit (2.77 N). The average single fruit size is 1.57 cm × 1.78 cm, and average maximum individual fruit mass is 2.34 g, with a maximum fruit mass of 2.57 g. From June 2016 to July 2017, the blueberry variety was thoroughly evaluated for key traits like fruit yield and quality, and its specific traits were stable. The new blueberry variety passed the DUS on- site substantive examination and received a certificate of plant cultivar rights from the National Forestry and Prairie Bureau in 2019, and was named Fengkelai. Fengkelai is an early ripening variety, the fruits usually start to ripen in late June in their natural state, and the range of requirement is about 600-1200 hours, which is suitable for planting in northern China or high altitude areas. Regarding soil texture, it prefers to charcoal soil, loamy soil or sandy loam, and acidic soil with suitable range of soil pH from 4.0 to 5.5 and organic matter content of 3.0% to 15%. Planting spacing is recommended to be 1.5 m×2.0 m, and well- rotted organic fertilizer should be applied before planting seedlings. Insufficient water during fruit swell can seriously affect bush growth, development and yield. Black mulch can be used under the canopy of blueberry bushes for effective weed control. Winter and summer pruning should be carried out, starting after the completion of the summer fruit harvest. The pruning methods should adopt a combination of short cutting and thinning. Winter pruning shoud carry out in theWhite Dewseason, and pruning objective is to promote flower bud develpment. The main blueberry diseases include leaf chlorosis, stiff fruit disease and gray mold. Winter protection can be conducted by burying the bushes with soil or utilizing wraps like plastic or non-woven fabrics.