The heaviest blueberry ever recorded has been grown in Australia.
Weighing 20.4 g (0.71 oz) – almost 70 times more than an average wild blueberry – it is 4.2 g (0.14 oz) heavier than the previous record.
It was grown by Costa Group horticulturists Brad Hocking, Jessica Scalzo and Marie-France Courtois at Costa’s berry farm in Corindi, New South Wales.
The record-breaking blueberry took 12 months to grow. It is from the “Eterna” variety, which is one of the latest releases from Costa’s Variety Improvement Program.
A few days before harvest, Brad noticed that the fruit size was “tracking really well”, but it wasn’t until the morning he picked it that he realized it was “something really special”.
He said: “Eterna as a variety has a really great flavour and consistently large fruit. When we picked this one, there were probably around 20 other berries of a similar size.
“This really is a delightful piece of fruit. While the fruit is large, there’s absolutely no compromise on quality or flavour as would be expected when developing a premium variety blueberry.”
In addition to being exceptionally large, Eterna blueberries are known for their crisp texture and long shelf life, according to Brad.
The Costa Group has an extensive network of farms, allowing them to develop one to two new varieties of blueberry “of global commercial value” each year.
To meet evolving global requirements, they are looking to breed new varieties that are more adaptable to hotter climates and tolerant against pests and disease.
In addition to blueberries, Costa farms grow a variety of other berries, as well as grapes, avocados, tomatoes and mushrooms.
“While our primary production goal is consistently high fruit quality, we do get great size in all our crops,” Brad revealed.
“I’m really proud to be able to celebrate with the team of passionate people we have here at the farm and recognise all the hard work that goes into producing these crops.”
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