OCHLOCKONEE
(ok-LAHK-uh-nee) is a rabbiteye blueberry joint release
by The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences, The University of Georgia
Agricultural Experiment Station, and the United States
Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research
Service. Named after the Ochlockonee River in south
Georgia, Ochlockonee’s primary attribute is that it
ripens late in the rabbiteye season along with Tifblue,
yet yields and berry size have been superior to the
standard cultivar in south Georgia. Berries are
medium-to-large sized, high quality, and can be
mechanically harvested. Other attributes such as berry
scar, berry
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color, berry
firmness and plant vigor for Ochlockonee are comparable
to Tifblue. As with most rabbiteye blueberry cultivars,
it is recommended that Ochlockonee be planted with
another rabbiteye cultivar with a similar bloom time for
cross pollination. In south Georgia, the cultivars
Brightwell and Powderblue are suitable pollinizers for
Ochlockonee. In Alapaha GA productivity of Ochlockonee
substantially exceeded that of Tifblue in three out of
five years for plants that were established in 1986. In
fact, the five year average yield for Tifblue in south
Georgia was almost 2/3 less than the Ochlockonee yield.
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Ochlockonee was
developed by D. Scott NeSmith and is a joint release by
the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences and USDA/ARS. It is a protected
blueberry variety that can only be sold by individuals
licensed by the Georgia Seed Development Commission
(GSDC) under guidelines established in conjunction with
the University of Georgia Research Foundation (UGARF).
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