Cold Damage in Blackberries Evaluated at the Fruit Research Station in Clarksville, AR
Have you been wondering if your blackberry plants are surviving the cold temperatures of Arkansas this winter? Did you know that dormant blackberries are not damaged until the temperature reaches 0°F? The temperature has been close to this degree in the past few weeks in some parts of the state. Due to this, we assessed the Ouachita variety of blackberry at the Fruit Research Station at Clarksville for possible cold damage after the temperature got to a low of 1°F.
Analysis Procedure
- Sampled different cane sections
- Sealed the samples in a Ziploc bag for 4-5 days and stored at room temperature
(dead tissue will oxidize and turn brown) - Cut buds down the center and analyzed the oxidized tissue
- Scraped bark and analyzed the oxidized cambia/vascular tissue
Here are the results!
Overall, the samples that were collected showed very little to no damage. There was slight damage on a couple of the bud of the lateral canes, but none on the main cane. Also, no apparent damage could be found in the cambia/vascular tissue under the bark of all the canes.
The winter is not over yet, but it appears that there is hope for the 2018 blackberry crop here in Arkansas!