Honeysuckle-Haskap (Lonicera caerulea) MAXIN®

Haskap Berry 'Maxin®' (Honeyberry)

A premium American licensed variety featuring massive, hard fruits, ideal for mechanical harvesting with combines and long-term cold storage.

'Maxin®' is a modern, highly promising American Haskap variety bred with the clear goal of meeting the needs of commercial orchards. It originates from the USA (Corvallis, Oregon state). It was developed by the prominent American breeder Maxine M. Thompson, after whom the variety is likely named. It is a legally protected licensed variety within the European Union, registered for legal protection with the CPVO (application number: 20180765). Thanks to its strong, slender growth and the versatile use of its fruits, it is a top choice for professional growers, but it will certainly find its place in home gardens as well.

Key advantages of the variety:

• Huge and hard fruits: The berries are large to very large and exceptionally hard. This characteristic is absolutely crucial for resistance to damage during harvest and transport.
• Excellent storability: The variety boasts a long post-harvest shelf life, and the fruits store very well in cold storage conditions.
• Vigorous and slender growth: The bush is large and slender, growing very energetically (annual growth up to 1 meter), which ensures fast establishment of the bush. This type of growth is extremely advantageous for commercial plantings because it facilitates access to the fruit and mechanization.
• Pollination: The variety is cross-pollinated. To achieve a rich harvest, it is essential to plant at least one other Haskap variety nearby that blooms at the same time (ensuring cross-pollination).

Fruit and Harvest

• Appearance: Large to very large fruits with a spherical, oval, to barrel-shaped profile. They have a dark blue color covered with a layer of protective waxy bloom.
• Flavor and flesh: The fruits are hard, with a pleasant sweet-sour taste.
• Harvest period: According to the breeder's data, the fruits ripen in June. The variety is explicitly dedicated to mechanical harvesting (with combine harvesters).
• Yield: The source text does not directly state the yield, but given its designation for commercial plantations, a high and stable yield is assumed.
• Utility: Versatile (universal). It is primarily a dessert variety intended for the fresh fruit market (thanks to its size and firmness), but it is also excellent for any processing.

Cultivation and Resistance

• Hardiness: High. The plant is fully winter-hardy.
• Disadvantages and notes: The variety is cross-pollinated. The very vigorous growth (up to 1 m per year) may require regular pruning in small home gardens to maintain size. As a licensed protected variety, commercial propagation is restricted.