Darlene
Cultivar Information
Flower type = Female
Berry color = Pink/Bronze
Year introduced = 1988
Variety protection = Patented
History
'Darlene' was released and patented by Ison's Nursery in 1988. Plant patent #7314, Sept. 4, 1990. The listed pedigree is 5-11-3 x 'Carlos'.
Comments
'Darlene' is a female variety capable of producing very large berries. Often, the berries vary quite a bit in size. Color is pinkish, similar to the 'Carlos' parent. We found the flavor and fruit quality of 'Darlene' to be pretty good. Appearance could be marginal as the fruit were often a dirty pink with brown splotches. Stem scar was usually wet, making it difficult to market. Yields were inconsistent and low, and for this reason we do not recommend this cultivar for commercial plantings.
Average Berry Quality in Tifton, GA Trials
| Cultivar | Berry weight (g) | Berry diameter (mm) | Soluble solids (%) |
| Darlene | 16.3 | 29 | 15.1 |
| Fry | 12.7 | 27 | 15.3 |
| Supreme | 17.7 | 31 | 13.9 |
Cultivar Attributes in Tifton, GA Trials
| Cultivar | Vine vigor | Leaf disease | Berry rot | % Full crop | Harvest period | Ripening | % Dry scar |
| Darlene | high | slight | Slight | 40% | midseason | even | 20% |
| Fry | medium | slight | slight | 70% | midseason | even | 30% |
| Supreme | medium | slight | none | 90% | midseason | uneven | 60% |