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Parentage
Black Pearl originates from the US Department of
Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) breeding
programme in Corvallis, Oregon, and has been released in cooperation
with the Oregon State University Agricultural Experiment Station and
the Washington State University. Black Pearl was selected by Dr Chad
Finn from a cross between ORUS 1117-11 x ORUS 1122-1, and was tested
as ORUS 1380-1.
Fruit Quality
The fruit of Black Pearl are similar in shape to Marion, being
medium long conic and can have a blunt tip. The arrangement of the
drupelets is uneven, similar to Marion and not as uniform as Black
Diamond. Fruit firmness is similar to Marion, but better than Silvan.
The colour is similar to Marion, being more black than Silvan and
flavour is excellent. Excellent processed fruit quality.
Yield and Fruit Size
Black Pearl produces similar or slightly higher yields compared to
Marion and Waldo. Fruit size is similar to Silvan, tending to be
larger than Kotata, Marion and Waldo, but smaller than Siskiyou, and
has averaged 6.2g in trials in the USA.
Season
The cropping season of Black Pearl is almost identical compared to
Marion.
Plant Characteristics
Plants of Black Pearl have a trailing habit, with canes of similar
vigour to Marion and Silvan. The fruiting laterals are of moderate
length, shorter than Marion, but longer than Waldo, and are similar
in strength to Marion. The canes are spine-free, except for the
basal 30-40 cm portion of the primocanes.
Disease Resistance
Black Pearl has been free of serious cane, leaf of fruit diseases in
the USA. The variety has not shown to be particularly susceptible to
Septoria leaf spot, purple blotch, cane and leaf rust.
Use of the Variety
Black Pearl is well adapted for machine harvesting and has excellent
processed fruit quality, and should be a useful variety for the
commercial processed blackberry industry. The variety is not likely
to be well suited to fresh market outlets, but is suited for the
amateur market. Black Pearl is expected to perform well in countries
where trailing blackberries grow successfully, including Chile, New
Zealand, UK, and the Mediterranean region.
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