Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) PURU

Northern Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) 'Puru'

Early New Zealand variety with extremely large fruits and a compact growth habit.

'Puru' is a high-quality Northern Highbush variety that emerged from the famous New Zealand breeding program (alongside varieties like 'Nui' and 'Reka'). It is prized primarily for its ability to produce very large, heavy fruits with excellent flavor right at the beginning of the blueberry season. It features compact growth and a very early onset of production, making it an ideal choice for growers seeking an early, premium harvest.

Key Highlights:

• Very early harvest: Concentrated ripening at the start of the season.
• Huge fruits: Average weight up to 2.2 g (18 mm diameter).
• Excellent flavor: Sweet, aromatic, with a small dry picking scar (good shelf life).
• Compact habit: Upright and denser bush, suitable even for smaller spaces.
• Ripe fruits do not drop from the bush.

Origin and Registration

• Origin: New Zealand (Ruakura Agricultural Research Centre). Breeder Franklin H. Wood. Released in 1989.
• Genetics: Cross of 'Earliblue' x 'Bluecrop' (from seeds originating in the USA).

Variety Characteristics

Bush

• Growth: Compact, upright, and moderately vigorous. Forms a dense canopy.
• Leaves and Flowers: Glossy leaves characteristically tend to curl downward. Flowers are white with a subtle pink tint.
• Productivity: Very early onset of bearing. Average yield is 4.8 kg per mature bush.

Fruit

• Size and Weight: Very large, heavier than other standard varieties (avg. 2.2 g).
• Shape and Color: Noticeably flattened. The color is pale blue (sometimes with a pinkish tint near the stem).
• Quality: A small, dry stem scar enhances shelf life.
• Interesting trait (Autumn crop): Depending on summer weather, the bush may produce a small secondary crop in autumn featuring extremely large berries.

Resistance and Requirements

• Fruits (Warning): They have only medium resistance to splitting – prolonged rain during ripening can pose a risk of damage.
• Soil: Requires standard acidic, peaty soil.

Cultivation Recommendations

• Harvesting: Ripening is highly concentrated, making it easy to harvest a large volume of fruit at once. Ripe berries hold well on the plant without dropping.

Harvest and Storage

• Harvest time: Very early (one of the first varieties to ripen).