A Lucrative Opportunity

For growers in colder climates, raising blackberries might not be out of the question anymore. USDA-ARS scientists recently developed a trellis system that means growing blackberries in the Midwest and Northeast is now possible.

The trellis system, called the Rotatable Cross-Arm (RCA), was designed by Fumiomi Takeda at the ARS Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearneysville, WV. Trellis Growing Systems, an ARS partner based in Fort Wayne, IN, is already marketing the system.

3 Added Benefits

1) With RCA, the blackberries grow on the same side of the plant canopy. "This has allowed pickers to harvest the fruit at least one-third faster than picking fruit off plants on T-trellis rows," says Takeda.

2) Because the canes produce fruit on the side of the plant exposed to sunlight, they dry faster than berries that grow in the shade on upright trellis systems, making the plants less susceptible to mildew-related diseases.

3) Midwest blackberries will ripen from August to early October. "This is the time frame that blackberry shipment from Mexico is relatively low, so domestic blackberries can be sold at higher prices than from May to July," Takeda says.

How It Works

The trellis features an upright post and a long cross arm at the top, which rotates 180 degrees. Growers can attach blackberry canes to the trellis and position the plants close to the ground. Then, a thin, porous polyethylene cover can be laid over the plants to protect them from the winter chill. In the spring, the cover can be removed, and growers can reposition the cross arm so the plants get sufficient sunlight and rainfall.

Results of studies conducted in 2009 and 2010 in West Virginia showed promising results. The RCA systems produced up to 15 pounds of Siskiyou blackberries (known to favor mild climates) on each plant, where the canes were spread horizontally near the ground to reduce cold exposure. The polyethylene blanket successfully insulated the plants from the temperatures, as well.

Takeda anticipates that by 2012, there will be at least 100 new acres of blackberries planted in the Midwest using the RCA trellis system. "I may be over optimistic, but when this acreage comes into full production in two years, there can be as much as a $3.5 million increase in annual revenue for specialty crop farmers in the Midwest," he says.

A new blackberry trellis system developed by USDA-ARS scientists could be a boon to specialty crop growers in colder climates.