ABSTRACT
In Japan, 16 species of Vaccinium plants grow wild that have not been improved through breeding for commercial growing. The introduction of blueberries into Japan began in 1951; however, commercial blueberry culture made slow progress. In 1991, highbush and rabbiteye blueberries were planted on about 190 hectare (469 A). One of the severe problems of blueberry culture in Japan is the ripening of the main highbush blueberry cultivars during the rainy season (June and July). For this reason, it is a very difficult to produce fruit of high quality. The primary areas of blueberry research in Japan are as follows: (1) variety tests of highbush and rabbiteye blueberries, (2) techniques and appropriate methods of training and pruning, (3) mineral nutrition and diagnosis of nutrient condition, (4) short-term storage tests and keeping quality in the rainy season and mid-summer, and (5) protected cultivation of highbush blueberries.
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