Prime-Ark Freedom blackberry variety
Rating [ 4.7 ]
The first commercial thornless primocane-fruiting early-ripening blackberry with large berries and good flavor
Rubus subgenus Rubus Watson 'Prime-Ark Freedom'
Originated from a cross of A-2301T x APF-49T
Variety denomination - 'APF-153T'
Plants are thornless
Bushes have erect canes
Fruit weight is 10 g
Berries have a oblong shape
Fruiting habit - primocane-fruiting (everbearing)
Flowering on floricanes starts in the second week of April
Ripening date (regular) - first week of June
Blooming on primocanes starts in the third week of June
Ripening date (remontant) - fourth week of July
Productivity is 2 kg per plant
Soluble solids - 10.2%
Acidity - 0.74%
Cold hardiness is good
Heat tolerance is moderate
Country of origin - United States
Patent US PP26,990 P3 dated July 31, 2016
Current status - modern or widely used
Prime-Ark Freedom (also known as APF-153T) is the world’s first commercially released thornless primocane-fruiting blackberry. This is the fourth in the University of Arkansas Prime-Ark Brand Primocane Fruiting Blackberry cultivar line following the release of Prime-Jan and Prime-Jim in 2004 and Prime-Ark 45 in 2009. All of the prior-released primocane-fruiting cultivars are thorny.
This type of blackberry fruits on current-season canes (primocanes) and on second-season canes (floricanes), potentially providing for two cropping seasons, both traditional summer fruits in addition to late summer to fall production. In addition to having thornless canes, this variety produces very large berries with good flavor and is very early ripening on floricanes.
Fruit of Prime-Ark Freedom does not exhibit exceptional postharvest storage potential but it is not recommended for the shipping market due the berries have low firmness.
The average primocanes length is about 2-2.5 m. Primocanes are low vigorous, without thorns, very erect. Prime-Ark Freedom berries are large-sized, average weight of berry is about 9-12 g. Color is glossy black.
Each plant produces groups of berries, like bunch of grapes. The first yield starts forming at primocanes in the beginning of June and continues three to four weeks. During this first harvest season, Prime-Ark Freedom intensively produces floricanes, which soon begin to bloom. Floricanes are thornless. This is the second harvest season, which continues up to the middle of October.
After the end of the second harvest season Prime-Ark Freedom requires winter shelter from winter cold wind and other unfavourable conditions, because the declared cold hardiness of this blackberry variety is moderate, about minus 13..17 C, but the many growers note that real hardiness is about minus 18..20 when using covering.
Plants like sun placement, but it is observed that at high air temperature (over 31..33 C) pollination cardinally reduces.
This type of blackberry fruits on current-season canes (primocanes) and on second-season canes (floricanes), potentially providing for two cropping seasons, both traditional summer fruits in addition to late summer to fall production. In addition to having thornless canes, this variety produces very large berries with good flavor and is very early ripening on floricanes.
Fruit of Prime-Ark Freedom does not exhibit exceptional postharvest storage potential but it is not recommended for the shipping market due the berries have low firmness.
The average primocanes length is about 2-2.5 m. Primocanes are low vigorous, without thorns, very erect. Prime-Ark Freedom berries are large-sized, average weight of berry is about 9-12 g. Color is glossy black.
Each plant produces groups of berries, like bunch of grapes. The first yield starts forming at primocanes in the beginning of June and continues three to four weeks. During this first harvest season, Prime-Ark Freedom intensively produces floricanes, which soon begin to bloom. Floricanes are thornless. This is the second harvest season, which continues up to the middle of October.
After the end of the second harvest season Prime-Ark Freedom requires winter shelter from winter cold wind and other unfavourable conditions, because the declared cold hardiness of this blackberry variety is moderate, about minus 13..17 C, but the many growers note that real hardiness is about minus 18..20 when using covering.
Plants like sun placement, but it is observed that at high air temperature (over 31..33 C) pollination cardinally reduces.
| Cultivar | Yield, kg/ha | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | |
| Floricane harvests | |||
| Prime-Ark Freedom | 6258 | 10740 | 17529 |
| Natchez | 19773 | 19448 | - |
| Osage | 13681 | 14461 | - |
| Ouachita | 12076 | 15716 | - |
| Prime-Ark 45 | 7866 | 13238 | 23501 |
| Primocane harvests | |||
| Prime-Ark Freedom | - | 911 | 2893 |
| Prime-Ark 45 | - | 214 | 3663 |
| Cultivar | Berry weight, g/pcs | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | |
| Floricane harvests | |||
| Prime-Ark Freedom | 9.2 | 8.7 | 12.6 |
| Natchez | 7.6 | 7.3 | - |
| Osage | 5.0 | 5.1 | - |
| Ouachita | 5.5 | 5.8 | - |
| Prime-Ark 45 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 6.2 |
| Primocane harvests | |||
| Prime-Ark Freedom | - | 7.5 | 8.8 |
| Prime-Ark 45 | - | 4.8 | 5.8 |
| Main features | Cultivar | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APF-153T | Natchez | Osage | Ouachita | APF-45 | |
| 2011 | |||||
| Flowering date on floricane | |||||
| 10% bloom | April 13 | April 2 | April 19 | April 27 | April 20 |
| 50% bloom | April 16 | April 20 | April 25 | May 4 | April 26 |
| Floricane harvest date | |||||
| First | May 28 | June 6 | June 9 | June 13 | June 6 |
| Peak | June 6 | June 13 | June 20 | June 28 | June 18 |
| Last | June 20 | July 7 | July 25 | July 25 | July 18 |
| 2012 | |||||
| Flowering date on floricane | |||||
| 10% bloom | March 26 | April 2 | April 2 | April 5 | March 27 |
| 50% bloom | April 1 | April 4 | April 5 | April 11 | April 2 |
| Floricane harvest date | |||||
| First | May 6 | May 17 | May 21 | May 24 | May 17 |
| Peak | May 21 | May 29 | May 29 | June 5 | May 29 |
| Last | June 8 | June 25 | June 25 | June 28 | June 28 |
| Fruit (rating scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is the best) | |||||
| Firmness | 7.6 | 7.8 | 8.2 | 8.6 | 8.2 |
| Flavor | 7.6 | 7.0 | 8.2 | 8.6 | 7.6 |
| Soluble solids, % | 9.7 | 11.3 | 11.8 | 11.6 | 10.8 |
Is blackberry Prime-Ark Freedom sweet?
Prime-Ark Freedom blackberries have a balanced sour-sweet flavor
How to cultivate blackberry Prime-Ark Freedom?
1. Avoid wet area when planted;
2. Annual pre-emergence and postemergence herbicide applications;
3. Annual spring nitrogen fertilization (56 kg/ha) using ammonium nitrate;
4. Tipping primocanes at 1.1 m height two times each season usually in mid-June and late July or early August;
5. Dormant pruning of primocane-fruiting plants must include removing dead floricanes and removing primocane tissue to a point below the fruiting (flowering) area on the primocanes;
6. Dormant pruning of floricane-fruiting plants must include removing dead floricanes and pruning lateral branches to ~0.4 m in length;
7. Use drip irrigation;
8. A single application of iron sulfate in late fall and lime sulfur in early spring.
2. Annual pre-emergence and postemergence herbicide applications;
3. Annual spring nitrogen fertilization (56 kg/ha) using ammonium nitrate;
4. Tipping primocanes at 1.1 m height two times each season usually in mid-June and late July or early August;
5. Dormant pruning of primocane-fruiting plants must include removing dead floricanes and removing primocane tissue to a point below the fruiting (flowering) area on the primocanes;
6. Dormant pruning of floricane-fruiting plants must include removing dead floricanes and pruning lateral branches to ~0.4 m in length;
7. Use drip irrigation;
8. A single application of iron sulfate in late fall and lime sulfur in early spring.
What diseases is blackberry Prime-Ark Freedom resistant to?
Prime-Ark Freedom has very good resistance to diseases such as Anthracnose, Orange Rust, Rosette or Double-Blossom
What diseases is blackberry variety Prime-Ark Freedom vulnerable to?
Prime-Ark Freedom is quite prone to diseases such as Grey Mold
Relevant documents for Prime-Ark Freedom blackberry variety:
