Clockwork

Blueberry

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'Duke' and 'Draper'

Summary: The plants of 'Clockwork' have medium to strong vigour whereas the plants of 'Duke' have strong to very strong vigour. The leaf of 'Clockwork' is smaller than the leaves of both reference varieties. The fruit of 'Clockwork' is medium in size whereas the fruit of 'Draper' is large. The sepal of 'Clockwork' is straight with a semi-erect attitude whereas the sepal on both reference varieties is reflexed with an erect attitude. The fruit of 'Clockwork' has low to medium sweetness with high acidity whereas the fruit of 'Duke' has medium to high sweetness with low to medium acidity and the fruit of 'Draper' has high sweetness with low acidity. Flowering on one-year-old shoots of 'Clockwork' begins early to mid-season whereas that of 'Draper' begin mid to late season. Fruit ripening begins early to mid-season for 'Clockwork' whereas it begins very early to early for 'Duke'.

Description:

PLANT: medium to strong vigour, upright growth habit, flowers and fruits on one-year-old shoots only, flowering and fruit ripening begins early to mid-season
ONE-YEAR-OLD SHOOT: green, medium to long internode length

LEAF: large length to width ratio, lanceolate shape, dark green on upper side, entire margin

COROLLA: urceolate shape
CORROLA TUBE: large with ridges, absent or very weak intensity of anthocyanin colouration

FRUIT: sparse to medium density of fruit cluster, light to medium intensity of green on unripe fruit, medium size, round and oblate shape in longitudinal section, straight sepals with semi-erect attitude, shallow calyx basin, medium bloom intensity, dark blue skin, medium to firm, low to medium sweetness, high acidity

Origin & Breeding History: 'Clockwork' arose from a cross between 'Reka' (female parent) and 'US645' (male parent) made in 2002 in Lowell, Oregon. From the resulting progeny, 'Clockwork' was selected in 2005 for its ripening period, ease of pruning, narrow crown, and freezing quality.

Tests & Trials: The comparative trials for 'Clockwork' were conducted by Expert Agriculture Team Ltd., in Chilliwack, British Columbia during the 2015 growing season. The plots were planted in the spring of 2014 in a randomized complete block design. Each variety consisted of 3 replicates with 3 plants per replicate for a total of 9 plants of each variety. Plants were spaced approximately 60 centimetres apart within rows and 3 metres between rows. Measurements were taken from 9 plants or parts of plants of each variety. Mean differences were significant at the 5% confidence probability level based on a paired Student's t-test.

Comparison tables for 'Clockwork' with reference varieties 'Duke' and 'Draper'

Leaf length (cm)

Leaf width (cm)

Click on image for larger view

Blueberry: 'Clockwork' (top) with reference varieties 'Duke' (centre) and 'Draper' (bottom)