Phenological and yield performance of black and redberry cultivars in western Parana State

Because grain cultivation in Parana is becoming unsustainable on small farms, growing fruit should be explored on these production units. Thus, the objective of the present work was to quantify the phenology and production of cultivars of black and redberry plants in the western region of Parana in the town of Marechal Candido Rondon, Parana State, Brazil. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, with four blocks and eleven treatments (blackberry cultivars Arapaho, Xavante, Ebano, Comanche, Caingangue, Choctaw, Tupy, Guarani, Brazos and Cherokee and the redberry plants). In each plot, composed of five plants, the phenological and production data for the 2009/10 and 2010/11 production cycles were collected, and the physicochemical quantification of the fruits in the last production cycle was performed. Most of the cultivars presented production cycles longer than 90 days, with the harvest beginning in late October and extending through late January. 'Brazos' presented the highest estimated yield. The Brazos, Guarani and Tupy cultivars produced fruits of higher masses. The redberry presented a high fruit yield and proved an excellent option for cultivation in this region.