Calypso, a blueberry variety planted on about 7,000 acres in Oregon and Washington, has good upside as a machine-harvest variety, according to a report from Oregon State University Extension Blueberry Specialist Wei Yang.

OSU Extension Blueberry Specialist Wei Yang talks about the compatibility of the Calypso variety to machine harvesting at the OSU Blueberry Field Day.

Speaking at the OSU Blueberry Field Day on July 24, Yang pointed out that Calypso is a low-growing fruit, which means drop distance onto machine harvest catch plates is shorter than other varieties that can produce the same crop yield.

“Probably eighty percent of the fruit is going to drop less than two feet to the harvester,” Yang said, “which is significant because the shorter the dropping distance for machine harvesting, the better the quality. So, from the point of the growth habit, Calypso is suitable for machine harvesting.”

Another factor in Calypso’s favor is the berries can hang on the plant longer than other cultivars and still maintain quality. And, Yang said, post-harvest tests with the fruit have shown the berries maintain their firmness in storage.

Also, bruising on Calypso berries stays constant for an extended time in storage. “It has two good traits in storage,” Yang said: “It maintains its firmness during cold storage and bruising development is slow, which is really good for a cultivar whether it is machine picked or handpicked.

“And it has good berry size, so it is easy to sort, and it maintains its quality, as well,” Yang said.

Calypso, which was released in 2013, is a northern highbush cross between Draper and Elliott. It was created by Michigan State University’s breeding program and is noted for among other characteristics, its good flavor profile.