Breaking interspecific barriers in Vaccinium: hybrids of Andean blueberry (V. meridionale Swartz) with highbush blueberry, cranberry, and lingonberry

The blueberry species V. meridionale of section Pyxothamnus has shown value as a bridge between taxonomic sections and ploidies in Vaccinium as either a first-generation or second-generation parent.
Tetraploid V. meridionale has hybridized successfully with 2x and 4x species of section Cyanococcus (blueberry), 4x section Oxycoccos (cranberry) and 2x section Vitis-idaea (lingonberry). The first-generation hybrids with 4x blueberry and 4x cranberry both produce strong plants with notable vigor.
First generation blueberry hybrids have successfully crossed to both 4x blueberry and 4x cranberry.
Second-generation allotetraploid V. meridionale – V. vitis-idaea hybrids have hybridized successfully with 4x cranberry, 4x blueberry, and 2x lingonberry.
It appears that these varied allotetraploid hybrids may allow gene movement among these diverse sections at the 4x level.
Further test-crosses are being made to evaluate the range of crossability of 4x V. meridionale and the hybrid V. meridionale allotetraploids with other taxonomic sections of Ericaceae.

XII International Vaccinium Symposium

M. Ehlenfeldt, J. Polashock

Vaccinium corymbosum, V. vitis-idaea, V. macrocarpon

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2023.1357.22