Fruit yields of 16 blackberry cultivars grown in central Poland.

In the springtime of 2005, 16 blackberry cultivars were planted in the Experimental Pomological Orchard in Skierniewice. They included the new blackberry cultivars: ‘Black Butte’, ‘Boysenberry’, ‘Chester’, ‘Helen’, ‘Karaka Black’, ‘Kotata’, ‘Loganberry’, ‘Loch Ness’, ‘Loch Tay’, ‘Oregon’, ‘Silvan’, ‘Tayberry’, Tayberry Buckingham’ and ‘Tummel’. The new cultivars were compared with two standard blackberry varieties ‘Orkan’ and ‘Black Satin’. In the course of the experiment the varieties were tested in the climatic conditions of central Poland, with special attention paid to yield and fruit quality. All the varieties except ‘Tayberry Buckingham’ were found very promising; the plants, however, have to be protected from frosts typical during Polish winters. The highest yields were recorded for ‘Chester’, ‘Loch Ness’ and ‘Loch Tay’. The largest fruits were produced by ‘Black Butte’. Although the Rubus hybrids: ‘Boysenberry’, ‘Loganberry’, ‘Tayberry’ and ‘Tummel’ are marked by low yields, they are interesting due to their original taste and fruit colour