A STUDY ON THE ORIGIN OF THE COWBERRY-BLUEBERRY HYBRID BRED AT THE CENTRAL BOTANICAL GARDEN OF NASB

A study on the cowberry-blueberry hybrid developed at the Central Botanical Garden of NASB was conducted jointly with the Central Siberian Botanical Garden SB RAS in order to determine its origin. Subjects of research were interspecific hybrids between native Vaccinium uliginosum L. (2n=48) and a natural tetraploid Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. (2n=48) used as a paternal plant, which were obtained in 1996. Hybrid F1 was characterized by a range of features resembling to a greater extent to those of blueberry. In connection with the fact that hybrid fruits were black-purple colored and resembled hybrids F1 obtained in Finland, Poland and Russia as a result of crossing of bog blueberry and high-bush blueberry cultivars, and flowers when pollinating were not isolated and red fruits of the cowberry type were absent in the generation F2, a demand for checking their origin arose. Interspecific crossings of Vaccinium uliginosum L. (2n=48) ´ Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. (2n=48) were carried out in 2006–2015, with emasculation and isolation of flowers. Thirty two combinations of crossing, 30–50 flowers each, were made. A morphological description of the cowberry-blueberry hybrid and assumed initial species was given. Extraction of DNA was conducted by a modified procedure. RAPD- and ISSR-PCR analyses were performed. Multi-year Vaccinium uliginosum ´ Vaccinium vitis-idaea crossings produced good results only in 2009, 2013, and 2015. The greatest percentage (3.3–35.0%) of berry setting was observed in 2013. The number of plump seeds in a berry was from 2 to 26. Their germinating ability was poor, and seedlings gradually died off. Berries were not set in reciprocal crossings. By a complex of morphological characters, the interspecific hybrid was closer to half-high blueberry, to a lesser extent to bog blueberry, but it was rather different from cowberry. The most informative primers OPA08 and 17899A were revealed. In the spectra of amplified fragments, components unique for Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. (2n=48) were not found in Vaccinium uliginosum ´ Vaccinium vitis-idaea hybrids, however, components typical of Vaccinium corymbosum L., Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton and their hybrid Vaccinium corymbosum ´ Vaccinium angustifolium were available. Poor reproductive compatibility of tetraploid cowberry with bog blueberry, affinity of the cowberry-blueberry hybrid to half-high blueberry and bog blueberry by morphological characters, as well as results of PCR analysis testify to the fact that the interspecific hybrid studied is blueberry, not cowberry-blueberry. The most likely paternal plant may be a Vaccinium corymbosum ´ Vaccinium angustifolium hybrid.

hybrid, interspecific crossings, morphology, molecular markers, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Vaccinium uliginosum, Vaccinium corymbosum, Vaccinium angustifolium, cowberry, blueberry

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