Danna® (APF 409T)
Attributes
- Primocane-fruiting and early season
- Thornless, erect canes, easy to manage
- Excellent fruit quality and high-yielding
- Suitable for many growing regions
- Suitable for fresh market and IQF
- Good fruit size, skin firmness and post-harvest storage
- Can avoid summer heat or winter chill based on your needs
Description
The Plant
APF 409T is a thornless, extremely early and precocious primocane fruiting blackberry genotype from the University of Arkansas plant breeding program. By precocious, early fruiting following planting is noted. It is among the earliest of the primocane fruiting genotypes within the Arkansas portfolio. It has a prolific primocane bloom. Earliness, on the other hand refers to the onset of fruiting from a biofix event: either mowdown or emergence following dormancy. It bears first seasonal fruit in Clarksville, Arkansas in mid-July. Primocane yield is expected to range from 15 to 20 tons per hectare depending upon growing conditions. Due to its precocity and earliness, the APF 409T is an interesting candidate for trailing in high latitude climates. Under such conditions, winter protection of crowns is advised.
The Fruit
The fruit of the APF 409T is above average in size. In its first production season following establishment, ruit size
averaged 4.9 grams while in its second season it averaged 8.1 grams. The fruit is very firm and does no soften after rain
events. Fruit flavor has been characterized as ‘better than average’ within the Arkansas gene pool. There is some
variability in flavor. The fruit’s average slash line is 7.2g/12.0 SS/ 0.83 TA (grams/soluble solids/titratable acidity). The
fruit exhibits minimal color reversion in storage. In the University’s post-harvest evaluation of the entire portfolio of
advanced selections, APF 409T earned a composite score of 75% after 7 days of storage when considering – color
reversion, leaky fruit, mold, weight loss and softness. A 75% score is on the lower side of genotypes that advance to
patent protection.
Management
The APF 409T is a vigorous primocane fruiter with an erect plant habit. It can be double cropped under temperate
climatic growing conditions. To bear a late spring/early summer floricane crop some winter chill is required, probably
more than 200 hours. Due to its earliness, it is a candidate for fall production at higher latitudes not normally
considered favorable for fall production. Although floricanes are winter hardy to about -10C, primocane production of
fall fruit offers a unique market offering.