Australian fruit and vegetable giant Costa Group recently released a press release stating that the company has developed and grown the world's heaviest blueberries, setting a new Guinness World Record in the development of high-quality blueberry varieties.
This blueberry was picked on November 13, 2023, at Costa Berry Farms in Corindi, New South Wales, Australia, and was cultivated by Brad Hocking, Jessica Scalzo, and Marie-France Courtois. The weight of the blueberry is 20.4 grams, and the fruit diameter is 39.31 millimeters, which is equivalent to the diameter of a table tennis ball. The previous world record was 16.2 grams, produced in Western Australia in 2020.
The blueberry that set the new record comes from the Eterna variety. Senior horticulturist Brad Hocking said that the Eterna variety is known for its large fruit, crispy texture, and long shelf life. "Eterna tastes very good, and the fruit has always been very large. When we picked this blueberry, there might be about 20 blueberries of similar size." This variety is part of Costa's globally renowned Variety Improvement Program (VIP), which licenses the cultivation of Costa-bred blueberry varieties in regions such as the Americas, Morocco, China, and southeastern Africa. The VIP project is headquartered in Corindi and has been in operation for more than 25 years, developing an average of one to two new blueberry varieties with global commercial value each year.
It uses Costa's extensive farm layout in mid-latitudes, low-latitudes, and low-to-mid-cold regions to screen, evaluate, and develop new varieties suitable for various global growth conditions, to meet the needs of customers and consumers for high-quality blueberry varieties. The breeding team uses traditional plant breeding techniques to identify and develop plant varieties based on key indicators such as fruit quality, fruit yield, and economic returns. The most famous variety in this program, Arana, is one of the most popular blueberry varieties in the world, with large fruits, outstanding taste, and quality, and can bring a premium over the standard market return.
George Jessett, the manager of Costa Berry's International Horticulture Department, said they were very excited and confident in the new variety, "We have been looking to develop new varieties that can raise the current industry standards and meet the changing needs of customers. We are also looking to breed varieties that are more adapted to hot climates, more drought-resistant, and more resistant to pests and diseases."
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