SUGAR ACCUMULATION IN HIGHBUSH BLUEBERRY FRUIT AS AFFECTED BY ARTIFICIAL POLLINATION WITH DIFFERENT POLLEN SOURCES IN RELATION TO SEED NUMBER, INVERTASE ACTIVITIES AND ABA CONTENT

Flowers of ‘Weymouth’ highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) were either artificially cross-pollinated with ‘Northland’ pollen, self-pollinated or open-pollinated.
Subsequent fruit growth was monitored.
Cross-pollinated fruit had significantly more brown (mature) seeds than self-pollinated or open-pollinated fruit.
Cross-pollinated fruit were also larger than the others.
Total sugar content was slightly higher during the early growth stage and much higher during the maturation stage in cross-pollinated fruit.
Soluble acid invertase activity was higher in the cross-pollinated fruit during the early growth stage and the maturation stage than in the other fruit.
Insoluble acid invertase activity was also higher in the cross-pollinated fruit during the maturation stage compared to other fruit.
In the cross-pollinated fruit ABA content was higher during an early fruit growth stage and higher to some degree during the later maturation stage.
These results indicate that artificial cross-pollination in highbush blueberries promote sugar accumulation in the fruit, and that seed number, the activity of acid invertases, and ABA content may be involved in the mechanism.

VII International Symposium on Vaccinium Culture

K. Kobashi, S. Sugaya, M. Fukushima, S. Iwahori

Vaccinium corymbosum, sugar metabolism, fruit growth, brown seed

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2002.574.4