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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] blueberry fertilization

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  • From: "Hal Love" <lovehd@comcast.net>
  • To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] blueberry fertilization
  • Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2008 10:47:08 -0600

Rabbiteye blueberries are hexaploid, and commercial highbush cultivars are
tetraploid. There are also many diploid species or races of Vaccinium.

The basic "rules" are:

Most Vaccinium "species" with the same number of chromosomes are completely
interfertile.

Diploid cross tetraploid will rarely result in fruit set, and the fruit will
be small. You are also more likely to get tetraploid seedlings than triploid
seedlings from this cross. This is due to triploid embryos aborting, but the
occasional tetraploid embryo (the result of an unreduced gamete from the
diploid parent) will be viable. When you do get a rare triploid, they are
tyically highly sterile.

Tetraploid cross hexaploid will almost always work for fruit set, and you
will almost always get pentaploid seedlings from the cross. So, rabbiteyes
and highbush cultivars will cross-pollinate, but the fruit may be smaller.
The pentaploids can sometimes have good fertility. Two pentaploid cultivars
have been released, Pearl River and Robeson. These are hybrids between 6x
rabbiteyes and 4x highbush.

See link for a good overview of blueberry breeding if interested.

http://www.smallfruits.org/CoAgentTraining/June07Training/2BlueberryBreedingv2.pdf

Hal


----- Original Message -----
From: <Lucky.PIttman@murraystate.edu>
To: <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2008 6:16 AM
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] blueberry fertilization


>
>
>
>
> ------- Original Message -------
> >From : Dr.O'Barr[mailto:Topgun@otelco.net]
> Sent : 1/9/2008 8:26:20 PM
> To : nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
> Cc :
> Subject : RE: Re: [NAFEX] blueberry fertilization
>
> If a tetraploid blueberry pollinates a diploid
> blueberry will it be seedless? Or just without viable
> embryos?
>
> Ooh. I hadn't even considered 'ploidy' when I dashed
> off my hasty response.
> I dunno.
> Heck, I don't even know which species selections are
> diploid/tetraploid, etc.
>
> Lucky





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