Morning star: A New Cultivar Selected from Highbush Blueberry

Current breeding has resulted in the naming of Morning star, a new cultivar with distinctive characters from the northern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.). This follows our previously published cultivar, Senmao 7 (Xu et al. 2021). This cultivar is intended for the early-season fresh market, and is characterized by consistent early ripening, high yield, small and dry picking scar, medium firmness, good flavor, and a medium-blue color. Cultivated highbush blueberries were first domesticated in the early 20th century (Bidani et al. 2017). Currently, the breeding of highbush blueberries has entered a phase of rapid development, with increasing popularity among consumers due to not only their delicious taste but also their exceptional health properties, including phenolics, antioxidants, vitamins, and high levels of minerals. These properties contribute to human health by suppressing certain types of cancers, preventing infections, and enhancing brain function to delay senescence. Blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) have become a major fruit crop worldwide (Strik 2007). In China, the breeding and cultivation of commercial blueberries started in 2000, much later than in Western countries. Although blueberry research is relatively new, its development and commercial planting have been rapidly growing alongside economic development and changes in food consumption. By the end of 2020, the blueberry cultivation area in China reached 664 km2 with a total production of 347,200 t, of which ∼234,700 t were used for fresh consumption (Li et al. 2021); however, this production still falls short of meeting the rapidly increasing market demand. About nine countries worldwide have been exporting fresh blueberry fruits to China, and the total import volume has surged from 499 t in 2012 to 22,045 t in 2020, marking a 44-fold increase in just 8 years. Despite the continuous expansion of blueberry planting areas in China, production has declined, and poor performance has emerged as a significant challenge hindering the development of the Chinese blueberry industry (Xu et al. 2021). Therefore, there is a pressing need to breed new cultivars that are specifically adapted to the local climate and align with the current developmental stage of the blueberry industry in China.