Kiowa
Date: 2020-01-14, updated: 2023-01-28
Very productive old thorny blackberry cultivar with sweet nice-looking giant fruit
Rubus subgenus Rubus Watson 'Kiowa'
Originated from a cross of Ark. 791 x Ark. 1058
Variety denomination 'Kiowa', tested as Ark. 1380
Plants are thorny
Bushes have erect canes
Fruit weight is 10 g
Berries have a ovate shape
Soluble solids - 10.3%
Fruiting habit floricane fruiting (summer-bearing)
Flowering on floricanes starts in the first week of May
Ripening date (regular) - third week of June
Productivity is 15 kg per plant
Cold hardiness is excellent
Country of origin United States
Patent Plant 9,861 dated April 13, 1997
Current status - obsolete or rarely used
Recommended replacement - Natchez
Kiowa is one of the several varieties in a series of erect-growing, thorned productive blackberry cultivars, developed in the Arkansas Agricultural Expteriment Station, US.
Kiowa produces larger fruit and has a longer harvest period than previously released Arkansas cultivars. Kiowa has thorned canes with large thorny leaves. Canes are self-supporting and require no trellis.
A major feature of blackberry Kiowa is its large fruit size. Kiowa produces large fruit during all the harvest season. The harvest season of Kiowa is long, with fruit ripening over six weeks compared to the four to six weeks harvest periods for most blackberry cultivars. Kiowa fruit are blocky, oblong and have an attractive, glossy black finish. Kiowa plants are not very vigorous. Fruiting row establishment has been good, using either plants or root cuttings. For best production, primocanes of Kiowa blackberry should be tipped in summer when they reach 1.0 to 1.2 m high, and lateral branches must be pruned to 40 cm during winter dormancy.
Kiowa variety is moderately resistant to anthracnose and there have been no disease problems following a fungicide program consisting of a single application of liquid lime sulfur at budbreak. There has been no orange rust on Kiowa. The reaction of plants to rosette has not been determined.
Plants have shown no visible injury following field exposure to minus 23 C, and annual ratings for cold hardiness indicate that Kiowa is enough hardy. The outstanding characteristics of Kiowa blackberry are its large fruit size, which is maintained throughout the harvest season, and its long ripening period.
Kiowa was very good blackberry for markets, in which large fruit and an extended harvest season are desired. Its fruiting characteristics also make Kiowa popular as a home-garden cultivar.
Kiowa produces larger fruit and has a longer harvest period than previously released Arkansas cultivars. Kiowa has thorned canes with large thorny leaves. Canes are self-supporting and require no trellis.
A major feature of blackberry Kiowa is its large fruit size. Kiowa produces large fruit during all the harvest season. The harvest season of Kiowa is long, with fruit ripening over six weeks compared to the four to six weeks harvest periods for most blackberry cultivars. Kiowa fruit are blocky, oblong and have an attractive, glossy black finish. Kiowa plants are not very vigorous. Fruiting row establishment has been good, using either plants or root cuttings. For best production, primocanes of Kiowa blackberry should be tipped in summer when they reach 1.0 to 1.2 m high, and lateral branches must be pruned to 40 cm during winter dormancy.
Kiowa variety is moderately resistant to anthracnose and there have been no disease problems following a fungicide program consisting of a single application of liquid lime sulfur at budbreak. There has been no orange rust on Kiowa. The reaction of plants to rosette has not been determined.
Plants have shown no visible injury following field exposure to minus 23 C, and annual ratings for cold hardiness indicate that Kiowa is enough hardy. The outstanding characteristics of Kiowa blackberry are its large fruit size, which is maintained throughout the harvest season, and its long ripening period.
Kiowa was very good blackberry for markets, in which large fruit and an extended harvest season are desired. Its fruiting characteristics also make Kiowa popular as a home-garden cultivar.
Cultivar | Yield, kg/ha | Fruit weight, g | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1993 | 1994 | 1993 | 1994 | |
Clarksville | ||||
Kiowa | 7200 | 7600 | 11.1 | 10.0 |
Choctaw | 5100 | 6900 | 6.1 | 4.8 |
Shawnee | 7700 | 12300 | 7.6 | 5.9 |
Hope | ||||
Kiowa | 5100 | 12800 | 13.0 | 10.0 |
Choctaw | 5100 | 8500 | 4.9 | 4.2 |
Shawnee | 9700 | 18200 | 9.0 | 6.7 |
Fayetteville | ||||
Kiowa | 3000 | 7300 | 9.6 | 7.0 |
Choctaw | 4800 | 13900 | 5.8 | 3.8 |
Shawnee | 3500 | 15400 | 5.9 | 5.1 |
Bald Knob | ||||
Kiowa | 7700 | 8000 | 9.3 | 6.8 |
Choctaw | 4200 | 6200 | 4.6 | 2.7 |
Shawnee | 5900 | 9700 | 5.6 | 3.7 |
Main features | Variety | ||
---|---|---|---|
Kiowa | Choctaw | Shawnee | |
Date | |||
Budbreak | Feb. 22 | Feb. 25 | Feb. 25 |
50% bloom | May 2 | April 26 | April 30 |
First crop (5%) | June 12 | May 31 | June 9 |
Peak (50%) | June 30 | June 10 | June 24 |
Last crop (95%) | July 23 | June 22 | July 11 |
Fruit (rating scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is the best) | |||
Firmness | 8.0 | 7.6 | 7.5 |
Flavor | 8.2 | 8.7 | 7.6 |
Seed size, mg/pcs | 3.8 | 1.9 | 3.9 |
Soluble solids, % | 10.3 | 9.2 | 9.9 |
Plant (rating scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is the best) | |||
Vigor | 7.6 | 9.0 | 9.8 |
Health | 8.6 | 9.0 | 8.8 |
Winter injury | 9.5 | 8.2 | 9.6 |
Useful Growing Guides:
Reviews of the variety Kiowa
Review from [Dmitrii Z]
Kiowa has very large, sweet juicy fruit with delicious taste. Yield is moderate, but is stable from year to year. I like this variety, but the plants are very prickly Shading is strongly recommended when summer is hot and dry - if not, some fruit can be wilted.
Review from [GREEN LADY PERMACULTURE]
Kiowa berry planting (xL blackberry)
Review from [TODD GAMEL]
Our Kiowa Blackberries showing the progression of growth from the first year through year three. Big, nice, easy to grow berries.
Review from [MosBerry]
I've planted this cultivar in pot last year. The bush was one year old. Grows fast, has a lot of floricanes and laterals. Flowers are beautiful. Fruits are big and have good taste and flavour, but haven't moderate firm. Kiowa is one of my favourite varieties. Unfortunately, bushes is very-very-very thorny. My one shows good winter and disease resistance.