| Abstract: | In 1986, 1988 and 1989, fruit from highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L., cvs Collins, Bluecrop, and Herbert) and rabbiteye blueberry (V. ashei Reade, cvs Climax, Tifblue, and Menditoo) grown at the same location were compared for size, raw product quality, storage, and sensory attributes. Compared with rabbiteye blueberry fruit, fruit of highbush cvs were generally larger in size, volume, and surface area and higher in titratable acidity, higher Hunter color attributes of ‘L’, ‘a’, ‘b’, and chroma, protein, P, Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe, Cu, B (dry wt. basis), and higher in decay and water loss after 3 weeks storage at 7 C. Rabbiteye fruit, compared with highbush fruit, were generally higher in pulp pH, percent soluble solids, percent dry matter, seed weight per fruit, weight per seed, fruit height/width ratio, periderm dry weight per fruit, periderm wt. per surface area (in mg/cm2), sugar:acid ratio, firmness (as shear), and in sensory seediness. Fruit soluble solids, dry matter, hue, titratable acidity, pulp pH, and firmness of both species were influenced by weather (years). |
