Perpetua

Blueberry

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'Northcountry' and 'Chippewa'

Summary: The plants of 'Perpetua' have a semi-upright growth habit whereas the plants of 'Chippewa' have an upright growth habit. 'Perpetua' has a shorter leaf than 'Chippewa'. The leaf of 'Perpetua' is lanceolate shaped while the leaf of 'Northcountry' is ovate and that of 'Chippewa' is elliptic. The upper side of the leaf for 'Perpetua' is dark green whereas it is medium green for 'Northcountry'. The corolla tube of 'Perpetua' is small to medium whereas the corolla tube is large for 'Chippewa'. The fruits of 'Perpetua' are small whereas they are large for 'Chippewa'. The intensity of the bloom on the fruit of 'Perpetua' is weak whereas it is medium for both reference varieties. The fruit skin colour of 'Perpetua' is blue red whereas it is dark blue for 'Northcountry'. The fruit of 'Perpetua' has a medium to high sweetness whereas the fruit of 'Chippewa' has a low to medium sweetness. The acidity of the fruit of 'Perpetua' is low whereas it is medium for 'Northcountry' and high for 'Chippewa'.

Description:

PLANT: strong vigour, semi-upright growth habit, flowers and fruits on one-year-old shoots only, flowering and fruit ripening begin very early in the season

ONE-YEAR-OLD SHOOT: reddish yellow, short to medium internode length
VEGETATIVE BUD: begins bursting early

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

FLOWER BUD (DURING DORMANCY): medium to strong anthocyanin colouration
COROLLA: campanulate and cylindrical shape
COROLLA TUBE: small to medium with weak ridges, absent or very weak intensity of anthocyanin colouration

FRUIT: medium density fruit cluster, light green when unripe, small, round in longitudinal section, erect attitude of sepals, medium depth of calyx basin, weak bloom intensity, blue red skin (after removal of bloom), medium firmness, medium to high sweetness, low acidity

Origin & Breeding History: 'Perpetua' arose from an open pollinated cross between 'CVAC 45', as the female parent and an unknown male parent occurring in 2000 at the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Horticultural Crops Research Unit in Corvallis, Oregon, USA. From the resulting progeny, 'Perpetua' was selected in 2005 for its repeat flowering and fruiting as well as its fruit productivity.

Tests & Trials: The comparative trials for 'Perpetua' were conducted by Expert Agriculture Team Ltd., in Chilliwack, British Columbia during the 2017 growing season. Plots were planted in May of 2016 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 0.9 metres apart within rows and 3 metres between rows. Measurements were taken from 9 plants or parts of plants of each variety. The mean differences are significant at the 5% probability level based on a paired student's T-test.

Comparison table for 'Perpetua' with reference varieties 'Northcountry' and 'Chippewa'

Leaf length (cm)

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Blueberry: 'Perpetua' (centre) with reference varieties 'Northcountry' (left) and 'Chippewa' (right)

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Blueberry: 'Perpetua' (left) with reference varieties 'Northcountry' (centre) and 'Chippewa' (right)

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Blueberry: 'Perpetua' (right) with reference varieties 'Northcountry' (centre) and 'Chippewa' (left)