Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) MEGASBLUE®

Northern Highbush Blueberry - Variety 'MegasBlue®'

'MegasBlue®' is a premium, patented Northern Highbush blueberry variety bred with a clear goal: to maximize yield and fruit size. As its trade name ("Mega") suggests, its greatest pride is its exceptionally large berries. Combined with extremely high yield, concentrated ripening, and excellent suitability for mechanical harvesting, it represents a top choice for modern commercial plantations, as well as for demanding home gardeners expecting a massive harvest.

Northern Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) 'MegasBlue®'

The variety originates from the USA (Silverton, Oregon), where it was bred by Robert Gabriel. It is globally protected by Plant Breeders' Rights (PBR) and was patented in the US in 2016 under the breeder designation 'OBF0604'. It was developed as an improvement to the famous 'Draper' variety; compared to it, the bush is much more vital, producing significantly higher yields and larger fruits.

Main advantages of the variety:

• Large fruits: Exceptionally large and visually attractive berries with a heavy waxy bloom.
• Extremely high yield: The bush is literally covered in large clusters of fruit.
• Concentrated ripening: The majority of the crop ripens all at once, radically reducing the number of harvest passes.
• Dry scar: A small and dry picking scar ensures good storability.
• Mechanical harvesting: Thanks to fruit firmness and concentrated ripening, it is excellent for combine harvesting.
• High vitality: The plant is characterized by strong and vigorous growth.

Detailed variety description: Plant

• Growth and habit: The bush exhibits excellent vitality. Unlike 'Titanium®', 'MegasBlue®' has an upright but simultaneously very dense and widely spreading habit (bushy habit). At 3 years of age, it reaches a height of approx. 104 cm, but a width of up to 170 cm. This wider growth must be considered when planning planting spacing.
• Chilling requirement: This is a typical Northern Highbush variety with a high need for winter chilling. It requires approximately 1000 chill hours (below 7 °C) for proper dormancy break.

Fruits and flavor profile

• Appearance and size: The fruits are very large (up to 20 mm in diameter). They have a flattened globe shape. Visually, they are extremely attractive due to a beautiful "powdery" purple-blue color covered with a prominent waxy bloom.
• Firmness and scar: The fruits are firm. Upon detachment, they leave a small (1.2 mm) and dry picking scar, which is crucial for good shelf life and resistance to degradation.
• Seeds: Characterized by a low seed count (0 to 20 tiny seeds per fruit), contributing to a pleasant eating texture.
• Taste and aroma: Rated as good, medium sweet with low acidity.

Growing characteristics and agrotechnics

• Ripening and yield:
  • Harvest window: A mid-season variety. Under Oregon conditions, it reaches 50% ripeness in mid-July.
  • Concentrated ripening (Huge advantage): Fruits do not ripen gradually over many weeks, but ripen very concentrically (at once). This radically reduces labor and harvest costs.
  • Yield and harvest: Classified as having an exceptionally high yield. The variety is excellently adapted for mechanical harvesting.
• Resistance and requirements:
  • Soil: Strictly requires acidic (pH 4.5 – 5.5), light, peaty, and well-drained soil with regular irrigation.
  • Diseases: Does not show any particular susceptibility to common blueberry diseases; plant health is standardly good.

Disadvantages of the variety:

• Space requirements and pruning: The wide, spreading, and dense habit requires more space in the row and more precise thinning pruning to ensure air and light penetration into the center of the bush.
• High chill requirement: Needs 1000 chill hours, making it unsuitable for warm areas without freezing winters.
• License protection (PBR): Commercial propagation without a license is strictly prohibited.