Since the announcement a year ago that Fall Creek was establishing a blueberry nursery in South Africa, the company has been very busy.

“Over the last 18 months a small and exceptionally talented team has been recruited, ready and enthusiastic to serve the southern African blueberry industry. We are pleased to announce that our first production plants are now for sale and will be ready for delivery from December 2020," says Burgert van Dyk, Fall Creek Regional Director in South Africa, where the company has been instrumental. for the development of the nascent blueberry industry in the last two decades.

The location of its Western Cape nursery will be finalized soon, the company says, but great progress has been made.

Zero cooling varieties

“The three varieties that are now available in South Africa are part of the Fall Creek Collection® platform and are commonly known as The Three Amigos,” he says.

“JupiterBlue™, AtlasBlue™ and BiancaBlue™ have been crossed and selected from the Fall Creek breeding program in Mexico. This program specifically focuses on the development of new genetics for the zero and low chill environments. These varieties would normally be adapted to the climate of large parts of the Northern Cape and Namibia which have similarities to the climate of southern Spain and Baja California, Mexico. They may also be considered for areas in the far north of South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, where the climate is comparable to the climate of central Mexico."

JupiterBlue® 'FCM12-131'

JupiterBlue ™ is currently the earliest maturing variety in their zero chill program and performs competitively during the first window of commercialization. The taste and post-harvest quality of BiancaBlue ™ are remarkable, the company says, while the maturation of AtlasBlue ™ exceptional yields over the same period as the 'Biloxi' and 'Ventura' family varieties is much more concentrated.

BiancaBlue® 'FCM12-087'

Two additional varieties Ventura ™ and Victoria ™, available in the Open Catalog portfolio, will be offered to the South African industry together with The Three Amigos.

Variety descriptions can be found here: https://www.fallcreeknursery.com/commercial-fruit-growers/varieties/

Preview plants before committing to commercial purchases

All Fall Creek owned and managed varieties are available to customers under a Preview License Agreement.

“The cost structure of preview plants is different to commercial plantings and offers the grower the opportunity to preview the variety on their own site, before deciding to commit to commercial plantings,” explains Wian Mouton, Fall Creek South Africa business manager.

AtlasBlue® 'FCM12-045'

“Many new and exciting varieties are in the pipeline and will be added to the Fall Creek offering beginning in 2021 and beyond.”