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Fruit: medium-large; light blue; excellent scar; firm; flavor tart until fully ripe. Early ripening, mechanically harvestable rabbiteye blueberry. Self-incompatible. Moderately susceptible to phytophthora root rot. Chilling requirement same as for Climax. - Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties. 1997. ASHS Press. p. 177.Upright, vigorous, good for early Pick-your-own. Fruit large, firm, light blue, good scar. Received as Vaccinium ashei. Bonita was probably named after Bonita Springs Florida, where Pat Hartmann, a blueberry grower friend of Arthur Elliott, had relatives. - per. comm. from Paul Lyrene 11 September 2003.Bonita (early season) was released from Florida in 1985 (Lyrene et al. 1985A). The original plant, known as 'Big Blue', is located on the Hartmann Blueberry Plantation, formally owned by Dr. Arthur Elliott. Its origin in unknown, but it could be from a selection planted in Alapaha, Georgia. Plants are vigorous, but appear to be less upright in growth than 'Tifblue', but somewhat more vigorous than those of 'Aliceblue', 'Beckyblue', and 'Climax'. Its crown is medium in diameter (2 ft). It may be hard to grow on wet sites. Bonita's chilling requirement is thought to be 350-400 hours. Anthesis to 50% ripe fruit has not been determined. It is a sleeper because the plant has to grow three to four years before it produces an economical yield. Berries are large, firm, bright blue in color. They are borne in loose clusters on long pedicels and have a small, dry stem scar. Berries within a cluster tend to ripen together. Similar to 'Woodard', berries are tart until five days after they turn blue. The average seed number in undetermined. -M.E. Austin, 1994. Rabbiteye Blueberries. Ag Science. Inc. Auburndale, FL. p. 18.Bonita - A 1985 release from the University of Florida which can be mechanically harvested for the fresh market. Fruit ripen about three days after Climax and have good size, color, and firmness with a dry picking scar. Plants are moderately vigorous and develop a dense bush with many canes. It generally has the same problems as Beckyblue with leaf diseases, early defoliation, and poor flower bud initiation. It requries 350 - 400 chill hours.
P. M. Lyrene and W. B. Sherman
NAMED FOR= Bonita Springs, Florida