Ponca Blackberry

Dr. John R. Clark, Distinguished Professor of Horticulture with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, introduces the Ponca Blackberry, released in 2020.
We will be moving to new digital homes at aaes.uada.edu (research) and uaex.uada.edu (extension).
[Transcript]
Ponca blackberry. In my years in fruit breeding at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, this is one of the most exciting discoveries I've had a part in. Why is it so exciting? It is a good blackberry, berry after berry after berry. Difficult to get blackberries to be consistently good and sweet, and Ponca, it shines in that characteristic.
Ponca ripens early. It's very near Natchez season, one of our earliest varieties, and so it'll get into the market in the early season. Ponca's characteristics include: a berry size of about seven grams, which is comparable to Ouachita, a very important Arkansas variety, and larger than Osage, one of our most popular high flavored varieties. The berry chemistry is one of the best I've seen for a blackberry. Anywhere from 10 to 13 percent average soluble solids for the season, the sweetest one we've released. It has a sub-acid flavor which always complements the sweetness, and it has a tremendous aromatic profile.
The storage of Ponca is very good. It retains its black color very good with very limited reversion or reddening of the cells in storage. It maintains its shiny appearance, that sweetness carries through on flavor. I think for a storage berry and for shipping, it has great potential. And for local markets, your customers are going to come back and ask for Ponca.
Yield is very important in our blackberry breeding program because we want to have productive plants year in and year out. The yield for Ponca is approximately 15 to 20 thousand pounds per acre in our test plots, and is equal to that of Ouachita and Osage, two of our successful varieties that have been stable yield plants in the commercial market.
Ponca has a couple of unique plant characteristics that are new to our blackberry variety profile, and that includes the ability to produce the primary crop which ripens early very similar to Natchez in season, and the secondary crop which ripens anywhere from 14 to 20 days later. When we have a frost, we have a little bit of recovery crop potential because these buds break a little later. A unique aspect of Ponca is its plant type. It has a shortened internodes, and that's the space between leaves and shoots and flower clusters, and it allows a more compact type plant. This is the fruiting area which is about shoulder heigh to slightly lower, where the canes have been tipped to train them the prior year. However the primocanes on Ponca emerge above the fruiting canopy later, which is an added benefit in that tipping is not required early or during harvest in our trials, and it also allows the tipping to be done after harvest. This is a labor saving technique and reduces some management costs, which probably will be beneficial to growers of commercial blackberries.
In the berry category, blackberries have the greatest growth potential, and the only thing holding back is marketing and better varieties. Often times people say, "I don't like blackberries because they're tart or sour." Ponca is sweet. Berry to berry to berry consistency is better than any blackberry I've ever experienced. Give Ponca a try. I think it can expand your blackberry sales, and put smiles on customer faces.

[@tristafrog]

thank you so much for your amazing work at creating such delicious fruit. The whole world thanks you!

[@rajeke]

Best berry on the planet, hands down

[@user-wn7hr3vc9p]

Thanks a lot from Russia!

[@stefanr570]

We have been enjoying Natchez blackberries for years. Great taste, no disease problems, and good production. We make a lot of blackberry jam each summer. It sounds like Ponca is another really good blackberry. Since we have them only for ourselves (and to give to friends), superb taste is the main factor and I will plant a few of them next year. Thank you to Dr. Clark and all the people at the University of Arkansas for their breeding program. -Stefan

[@firecloud77]

I ordered 25 Ponca plants from Nourse Farms for a March 2021 deliver. I can hardly wait!

[@rajeke]

How are they?

[@jodyriggs5679]

Nice musical addition!

[@alexandruturcan6146]

Keep up with the good job!

[@edmarshall600]

Would love to see a video on bed preparation with pH and nutritional requirements.

[@mollymae2005]

Thank you Dr. Clark for this information. I now have Triple Crown. I am wanting to get another variety and this is very interesting. Where can one purchase the Ponca blackberry? Also sounds like the Caddo sounds like a nice berry. Enjoyed your guitar playing ! Scott Brakebill Greenbrier AR

[@mohammadrafique3625]

I like BlackBerry

[@frankenz66]

Planting some this spring, here in Arkansas, at 1300'.

[@kwlweapons]

where can one get a few plants? thanks for the informative video, nice guitar playing too!

[@firecloud77]

I bought 25 plants from Nourse Farms.

[@Abuhashimasi]

Great job Dr John . I would like to know what excellent verity that I could plant beside Ponca and Caddo which will give the opportunity of all season production ( early -mid and late season ) I live in array mediterranean climate . I was looking for Ponca and Caddo to buy ,but I was not successful to find it . I am looking for a few thousands bare root for the year of 2021. If any can help I really appreciate it. Many thanks to Do John Clark and Arkansas blackberry growers .

[@mikkelabrahamsen]

Does anyone know if I can buy this variety somewhere in the EU that ships to Denmark?

[@pondholloworchards]

So where can I find these plants at I need a few hundred

[@matthewbrown8579]

Where can you purchase this variety from

[@firecloud77]

I bought 25 plants from Nourse Farms.

[@jergenecarisma1099]

How to buy these berries?

[@firecloud77]

Nourse Farms.