DrisBlackEighteen

Blackberry

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'DrisBlackSix' (Victoria) and 'Carmel'

Summary: The dormant cane of 'DrisBlackEighteen' is angular in cross-section and has no spines while that of 'Carmel' is rounded in cross-section with very few spines. The young shoot of 'DrisBlackEighteen' is medium green with an absent or very weak to weak intensity of anthocyanin colouration while the young shoot of 'DrisBlackSix' is very dark green with a very strong intensity of anthocyanin colouration. The leaf of 'DrisBlackEighteen' has serrate incisions of margin of medium depth while the leaf of 'Carmel' has shallow bi-serrate incisions of margin. The flower of 'DrisBlackEighteen' has a larger diameter than those of the reference varieties. The time of flowering on the previous year's canes begins mid to late season for 'DrisBlackEighteen' while it begins late to very late in the season for 'Carmel'.

Description:

PLANT: upright growth habit, medium to many new canes, suckering from roots, leaf bud burst occurs mid to late season, begins flowering on previous years cane mid to late season, begins fruit ripening on the previous year's canes late in the season

YOUNG SHOOT (during rapid growth): absent or very weak to weak intensity of anthocyanin colouration, medium green, many glandular hairs
DORMANT CANE: weak to medium intensity of anthocyanin colouration, many branches distributed over whole length, angular in cross-section, no spines
CURRENT YEAR'S CANE: no fruiting

PETIOLE: small stipules
LEAF: predominantly three and five leaflets, odd-pinnate type, medium to dark green on upper side, medium glossiness on upper side
TERMINAL LEAFLET: lobing absent, u-shaped in cross-section, weak undulation of margin, strong blistering between veins
LEAFLET: serrate incisions of margin of medium depth

FLOWER: white, dense glandular hairs on pedicel
FRUITING LATERAL: absent or very few prickles
FRUIT: small length to width ratio, medium number of medium sized drupelets, oblong shape in longitudinal section, black

Origin & Breeding History: 'DrisBlackEighteen' originated from a cross between 'DrisBlackTwo', as the female parent, and a proprietary line designated 'BH936.7', as the male parent, conducted in April 2005 in Santa Cruz County, California, USA. 'DrisBlackEighteen' was selected in 2007 on the basis of plant health, fruit size, lack of spines and productivity. 'DrisBlackEighteen' was further propagated by root cuttings and underwent additional testing in Santa Cruz County, California from 2007 to 2017.

Tests & Trials: The comparative trial for 'DrisBlackEighteen' was conducted in Chilliwack, British Columbia during the 2021 growing season with dormant cane traits being assessed late in the fall of 2020. There were four replicates per variety arranged in a randomized complete block design. Each replicate consisted of 3 plants in a 2.7 metre row for a total of 12 plants per variety. Plants were spaced approximately 0.91 metres apart within the row with 3 metre inter-row spacing. Measurements were taken from 10 plants or parts of 10 plants of each variety. Mean differences were significant at the 5% confidence probability level based on a paired Student's t-test.

Comparison table for 'DrisBlackEighteen' with reference varieties 'DrisBlackSix' and 'Carmel'

Flower diameter (cm)

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Blackberry: 'DrisBlackEighteen' (left) with reference varieties 'Carmel' (centre) and 'DrisBlackSix' (right)

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Blackberry: 'DrisBlackEighteen' (left) with reference varieties 'DrisBlackSix' (centre) and 'Carmel' (right)

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Blackberry: 'DrisBlackEighteen' (left) with reference varieties 'Carmel' (centre) and 'DrisBlackSix' (right)