Blueberries

Before the early 20th century, blueberries were purely wild-foraged. USDA botanist Frederick Coville published the first scientific blueberry-growing instructions in 1910, then partnered with New Jersey cranberry farmer Elizabeth White, who helped fund and organize the search for superior wild plants. Coville achieved the first successful crosses between wild highbush and lowbush blueberries in 1911, effectively inventing the modern blueberry industry within a decade.

That original partnership is still the direct ancestor of the most widely planted blueberry today: Bluecrop, released in 1952, remains the industry's mid-season benchmark more than seventy years later.

Northern highbush varieties (Bluecrop, Duke, Legacy, Patriot) are bred for colder climates. Rabbiteye varieties are a separate species bred to handle Southern heat and humidity — Tifblue, released jointly by the University of Georgia and USDA in 1955, became the rabbiteye industry standard and remains the benchmark today.