TODAY’S PATENT – BLUEBERRY PLANT NAMED ‘SAPPHIRE’

The current invention is a Blueberry plant named ‘Sapphire’ invented by Paul M. Lyrene, patented by the USPTO on 3^rd of April, 2001, bearing the patent number USPP11829P2.

The plant is a new and distinct low-chill tetraploid highbush blueberry. Its novelty consists of the following unique combination of features:

1. Produces a bush that is upright but somewhat spreading.
2. Has a high resistance to root rot (Phytophthora cinnamomi).
3. Flowers and produces abundant new leaves in areas of central and north Florida where the mean temperature of the coldest month is 62 degrees F. or colder.
4. Ripens its fruit 60 days after flowering in central Florida (latitude 27.5N).
5. Ripens 80% of its fruit between April 10 and May 10 in central Florida.
6. Produces fruit that are large, firm, have a good picking scar, with sweet flavor and good texture.
7. Can be propagated asexually by softwood cuttings.

‘Sapphire’ has superior fruit quality, consistent yielding, and early ripening in Sebring and in Gainesville in multiple-year comparisons with other southern highbush cultivars.