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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » Horticultural Crops Production and Genetic Improvement Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #373213
Research Project: Genetic Improvement of Blackberry, Red and Black Raspberry, Blueberry, and Strawberry

Location: Horticultural Crops Production and Genetic Improvement Research Unit

Title: 'Twilight' thornless semi-erect blackberry

Author
item Finn, Chad
item STRIK, BERNADINE - Oregon State University
item YORGEY, BRIAN - Oregon State University
item Peterson, Mary
item JONES, PATRICK - Oregon State University
item Lee, Jungmin
item Bassil, Nahla
item MARTIN, ROBERT - Collaborator

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/2020
Publication Date: 6/4/2020
Citation: Finn, C.E., Strik, B., Yorgey, B.M., Peterson, M.E., Jones, P.A., Lee, J., Bassil, N.V., Martin, R.R. 2020. 'Twilight' thornless semi-erect blackberry. HortScience. 55(7):1148-1152. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI14992-20.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI14992-20

Interpretive Summary: Here we report the release of a new blackberry cultivar 'Twilight' from the USDA-ARS Horticultural Crops Research Unit in Corvallis, Oregon. This cultivar combines desirable traits of eastern erect blackberry and western trailing blackberry. 'Twilight' is a thornless, semi-erect blackberry that has large, firm, dark colored, sweet flavored fruit that is ideal for the fresh market. It ripens earlier than 'Triple Crown', with a similar flavor but is much firmer with a tougher skin. It should ship well. This cultivar should be adapted to areas where other semi-erect blackberries are grown successfully. The cultivar has been patented.

Technical Abstract: ‘Twilight’ is a thornless, semi-erect, high-quality blackberry (Rubus subg. Rubus Watson) that has very firm, large, dark, and sweet fruit suited for the fresh market and that ripen in the early midseason for a semi-erect type of blackberry. ‘Twilight’ was released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) breeding program in Corvallis, OR in cooperation with Oregon State University’s Agricultural Experiment Station. This cultivar is an offspring of blackberries similar in pedigree to ‘Eclipse’ and ‘Galaxy’, that combine germplasm from the eastern and western North American blackberry germplasm pools. ‘Twilight’ produces very good yields of very firm fruit with tough skins and an excellent sweet flavor. ‘Twilight’ fruit should be well suited to fresh market production in the early-mid season as it was earlier than ‘Triple Crown’, had a similar appealing flavor to ‘Triple Crown’ but was much firmer and with a tougher skin. ‘Twilight’ is expected to be adapted to areas where other semi-erect blackberries (e.g., ‘Chester Thornless’, ‘Triple Crown’) can be grown successfully. A U.S. Plant Patent has been granted (USPP 30,879).