Who supersized blueberries?

I’ve recently been eating Driscoll’s new highbush blueberries from Morocco. Guess what, they have only gone and supersized them! It’s like eating a cross between the original berry and a small kiwi but without the fuzz. I like mine on cereal, but smoothies and muffins also do the trick. 

Whatever way you eat them, the anthocyanins in the dark skins play a vital role in reducing many lifestyle diseases, and consuming just one cup of blueberries a day will cut your chance of a heart attack or stroke. 

Supersized blueberries could be good for CEA growers 

Breeding is a big deal for not only blueberries but the entire soft fruit industry. New varieties can help urban and controlled environment agriculturists find competitive advantages. Legislation and logistics will change the way we grow, helping to sustain an increased demand for strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. We already know they like an early start in CEA, facilitating easier acclimation to winter conditions. We also know that light quality and intensity in blueberry production is crucial to fruiting and continuous production of high yields. 

When is a blueberry not a blueberry?

Figuring out the right varieties for the right geography is important. They can be relatively hardy bushes and generally take well to a Scottish summer. More varieties than ever are available as breeders search for darker skins, higher yields, and plump berries, with just the right amount of bite. 

Honeyberry, Lonicera caerulea, or Haskaps, as they are commonly known, are native to Japan, and the berries are like little blueberry parcels. What many don’t know is that they are not actually blueberries at all, but come from the honeysuckle family. Despite this difference, they are pretty similar bushes, except for the elongated fruits.  

We’ve been trialing honeyberries through cold Scottish winters, and our young tissue cultured propagules grew a decent couple of feet with good node spacing indoors in 2–3 months under LED lights. 

The berries we produced are small, but incremental improvements will continue until good yields are obtained. With four times the level of antioxidants compared to blueberries and great cold-hardiness, honeyberries we think are worthy of time and investment in CEA.

We can’t wait for berry season, can you?

Janet Colston is a Scottish micropropagation consultant passionate about hydroponics, controlled environment agriculture and functional food.