Last week, Dr. Scott NeSmith, blueberry breeder from the University of Georgia, came to Poplarville for a visit. We talked about the current state of the Mississippi blueberry industry (as well as what is happening in Georgia). He stated that some early blooms may have got nipped some from cold events in the last few weeks there, but he was unsure how much loss to attribute to it. He was really interested in the cultivars currently being grown in Mississippi, so we headed on over to visit Luis Monterde. At his farm we saw most of the bushes in full bloom, with scads of pollinators buzzing from bush to bush. Dr. NeSmith asked if he had any Georgia releases. Luis said yes (Alapaha and Vernon) and showed them to us. Luis was high on Alapaha but expressed some reservations on Vernon. Dr. NeSmith said that in Georgia, high fertility was to the detriment of Vernon, which preferred low fertility management. He also suggested that the new cultivars Titan and Krewer might be good options here in Mississippi. As plants have been difficult to get, not much of it is planted here yet, so only time will tell on that. He did say they would split in the rain (Titan more so than Krewer). The issue of growing southern highbush blueberries also arose in our conversation. Luis said he has mostly given up on them (although he had one row), as they were difficult to keep alive for very long. One suggestion Dr. NeSmith had was to try Camellia and/or Suziblue. He believes they are “tougher” plants and can stand up better than other cultivars that have been tried in the past. Luis asked him what Georgia growers were doing with Premier, and Dr. NeSmith responded “pulling it out” due to the unreliable yields. After about 1.5 hours, we bid Luis goodbye and I took Dr. NeSmith back to Wiggins where he was staying. He doesn’t make it over here very often, so it was good to be able to spend some time with him and pick his brain about new potential cultivars for Mississippi.
Luis Monterde (left) and Dr. Scott NeSmith (right)
Mississippi Fruit and Nut Blog 