Kokanee cv.
IQF
Attributes
- Primocane fruiting
- Excellent flavor across a wide range of ripeness
- Bright, light red and glossy color
- Uniformly well-shaped, medium to large berries
- High yielding
- Great firmness
- Very good shelf life and transportability
- Vigorous, upright plant habit
- Robust plant health
Fruit & Plant Characteristics
Dr. Chad Finn, plant breeder of the US Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service in Corvallis, Oregon selected the primocane fruiting red raspberry cultivar, Kokanee, for its fantastic flavor, great firmness, and the ability to be picked at a wide range of ripening stages and color types based on the market needs.
Its excellent eating and shipping qualities make the Kokanee raspberry variety an ideal fresh market cultivar. The Kokanee variety produces medium to large fruit averaging 3.3g. The berries have a nice, fresh, bright red color and gloss. Soluble solids average 11.6%.
The Kokanee variety is highly productive with an average yield of 2.3 kg per plant. Larger fruit has been observed in substrate production systems. Its primocane crop ripens 10 to 14 days earlier than the Heritage variety.
This firm and attractive raspberry releases easily from its receptacle across varying stages of maturity. This, along with its vigorous, upright plant habit, facilitates easy management and harvest. In post-harvest evaluations, the Kokanee variety compared favorably with other primocane fruiting cultivars. Its fruit does not darken in storage.
Climatic Requirements
As a primocane fruiting cultivar, the Kokanee raspberry variety requires no winter chill to satisfy dormancy. Thus, production in tropical and subtropical climates is feasible in high altitude or marine moderated growing locations. During the growing season, the average temperature highs should not exceed 28°C. The use of shade cloth may extend the adaptability into climates where the average highs marginally exceed this limit.
The Kokanee raspberry variety has proven to be quite precocious, bearing first fruit approximately 5 months after the initial transplant of 50 cell plug plants. Under a primocane fruiting management regime, first fruit should ripen approximately four months following mow down.
Disease Resistance
The Kokanee variety offers good overall disease resistance. As almost all raspberry cultivars, it has shown susceptibility to Phytophthora root rot, yet the Kokanee variety offers a stronger tolerance than most commercial varieties. In subtropical trials under high tunnel production, growers managed powdery mildew. Even though, the variety has tested positive for Raspberry Bushy Dwarf Virus, drupelet coherence of the Kokanee variety has been very high with little or no crumbly fruit reported. Soil type and planting on beds are important considerations. As with most raspberry cultivars, spider mite management is necessary.
*Characteristics may vary depending on weather conditions, day length, soil type and location.