Tifblue Blueberry

Tifblue was released jointly by the University of Georgia and the USDA-ARS in 1955, the result of a breeding program led by Dr. Tom Brightwell that began in 1950 with a carefully monitored collection of seedlings aimed at producing a well-flavored rabbiteye blueberry able to tolerate the hot, humid, and unpredictable climate of the American South. That program produced three selections; the first two saw only marginal success, but Tifblue itself went on to genuinely transform the blueberry industry, becoming the standard commercial rabbiteye variety for decades and remaining, even today, the benchmark against which newer rabbiteye varieties are routinely compared in grower literature. It is considered the most cold-hardy rabbiteye cultivar, blooms later than most rabbiteyes (helping it dodge late frosts), and produces large, firm, light blue fruit with excellent storage and shipping qualities.