NEW YORK — A farm in Australia has grown the heaviest blueberry the world has ever seen. It's so big, in fact, that it could be used to play ping pong – assuming it could bounce, of course.
Guinness World Records announced the "behemoth blueberry" on Friday, saying it weighed in at 20.4 grams, almost 70 times more than an average wild blueberry. The berry is 4.2 grams heavier than the previous record, Guinness said, and is 39.31 millimeters across, roughly the size of a ping pong ball.
Farmers with the Costa Group, who provides fruit to Driscoll's and other companies, grew the blueberry over 12 months in Corindi, New South Wales, under their Variety Improvement Program. That program, according to the group, entails developing "one to two new varieties of blueberries of global commercial value each year."
Farmers with the Costa Group, who provides fruit to Driscoll's and other companies, grew the blueberry over 12 months in Corindi, New South Wales, under their Variety Improvement Program. That program, according to the group, entails developing "one to two new varieties of blueberries of global commercial value each year."
The record-breaking blueberry belongs to the Eterna variety, which senior horticulturist Brad Hocking said is known for its size, texture and ability to stay fresh longer. It was picked on November 13, 2023 – and wasn't the only one of such notable size.
"Eterna as a variety has a really great flavour and consistently large fruit," he was quoted as saying in a press release from Costa Group. "When we picked this one, there was probably around 20 other berries of a similar size."
Hocking told Guinness World Records that he noticed the fruit "tracking really well" before it was harvested, but that it wasn't until its final day out on the farm that he noticed it was "something really special."
Hocking told Guinness World Records that he noticed the fruit "tracking really well" before it was harvested, but that it wasn't until its final day out on the farm that he noticed it was "something really special."
This blueberry variety is meant to be more enjoyable for consumers, but also to survive in more extreme conditions brought on by human-fueled climate change. As global temperatures rise, extreme weather events like drought and heavy precipitation events become more intense and frequent. These opposing weather forces can be brutal for agriculture.
"We are always looking to develop new varieties that improve on the current benchmark and meet evolving customer requirements," George Jessett, Costa Berries International Horticulture Manager, said in a statement. "We are also looking to breed varieties that are more adaptable to hotter climates, are more drought tolerant and with better resistance against pest and disease pressure."
And the winning berry isn't just visually notable, Hocking said its quality is too.
"This really is a delightful piece of fruit," he said. "While the fruit is large, there's absolutely no compromise on quality of flavour as would be expected when developing a premium variety blueberry."
