Missouri Dewberry Project

Commodities

• Fruits: berries (brambles)

Practices

• Crop Production: crop improvement and selection

The Missouri Ozarks has suffered environmental and economic
depletion due to overreliance on cattle and beef production.
There is a small fruit crop which though native to Missouri and
having a long history of small-scale cultivation, is seldom grown
commercially today. Dewberries have likely been overlooked
commercially due to the higher yield potential of upright
blackberries and raspberries in fertile, level ground. The
dewberry, closely related to raspberries and blackberries, is a
distinct type of fruiting bramble which is suited to many
environments other than the "ideal" blackberry or raspberry
habitats, and are especially valuable in hilly regions.
Dewberries can be grown in upland and lowland soils requiring no
expensive machinery to cultivate and harvest and add diversity to
the landscape and are interworkable with beekeeping,
agroforestry, permaculture, vegetable and livestock
production. 

Dewberries, in the context of this project refers primarily to
the species historically known as Rubus villosus,
which is now commonly divided into the three species R.
flagellaris, R. invisus and R.
trivialis (syn. enslenii); this group
also comprises the subspecies roribaccus (e.g.
'Lucretia'), geophilus (e.g. 'Austin'), and
almus (e.g. 'Foster Thornless'), whose attachments to
the various newly divided species are still a matter of
debate. 

Research on existing cultivars as well as selecting new ones is
likely to make dewberry cultivation a recognized and practical
specialty crop option for southern and central Missouri, and
perhaps even to become a signature product of the region. In
addition to the fresh-marketed and preserved fruit, the dewberry
has also been used as a source of tea (leaves), wine, and
vinegar. They are potentially the basis of a wide variety of
value-added products.

Dewberries benefit pollinators including honeybees and wildlife
including turtles and gamebirds, especially Bob White Quail.
Flowers have a lot of nectar and the fruit and shoot tips are
eaten by a lot of wildlife. It is easy to exclude wildlife with
trellising if growing for fruit, but another market can be
growing dewberries for wildlife. Root systems are extensive and
help stabilize the soil. Requires very little equipment or
physical stamina to cultivate. Can be produced on marginal areas
of the farm and in economically depressed portions of the
state. 

In hilly and "marginal" locations, dewberries may thrive and
outperform blackberries. Furthermore, the vine's low and rambling
habit may actually be an asset to small and diversified
operations where it can be trained upon fences, rock walls, and
other existing infrastructural sites rather than requiring
dedicated open acreage which could be utilized in other ways.
Dewberries can be pollinated by a variety of native pollinators
as well as by honeybees, and are an excellent crop to integrate
with a beekeeping venture on the farm.

Four cultivar trials will be conducted for plot replication.
There will be 4 plots and 100 plants. Initial size of each plot
will be about 1/8th acre, describing ridge top, plain, and
bottomland habitats. Initially 25 plants each at 5x5 foot
spacings. In addition to comparative trials of the ones commonly
available, samples will be sought from superior wild germplasm
and from as many heritage dewberry cultivars as possible.

Dewberries are especially well suited to the Ozarks, both
agronomically and economically. The cultivar 'Lucretia', often
said to orginate in North Carolina, was actually (as per some
sources) selected from West Virginia during the Civil War era,
but in any case it has been grown successfully in sourthern
Appalachia for over a century, in climates and soils that closely
mirror those of southern Missouri. The Arkansas Ozarks also
historically produced dewberries in the early 20th century and
are still often found in old home gardens there. Moreover, the
wild subspecies or species known as upland dewberry is native to
the Ozark uplift, and although it is not noted for high
productivity, its tolerance to shade and rocky soils make it a
desirable parent stock for any new dewberry crosses, as well as a
population from which potentially to select natural cultivars
(so-called "nativars") for outstanding traits such as
thornlessness or early bearing.

Objectives:

1. To evaluate the productivity and winter hardiness of the 3
   most widely available dewberries.
2. To select the most promising native genotypes to introduce
   new varieties
3. Share findings through a field day, publication of a
   bulletin, and articles in agricultural publications.