FEMALE STERILITY IN THE COMMON LOWBUSH BLUEBERRY, VACCINIUM ANGUSTIFOLIUM AIT

Abstract

Experimental The first female sterile clone was found in 1961 at the farm of Mr. Gordon Maybee, East Mines, Colchester County, N.S. The plant bore a large number of flowers but set no fruit. Rhizome pieces were collected from this plant (#71) and were sprouted in the greenhouse at Icentville. Over a period of two years 60 flowers of clone #7 1 were self-pollinated in the greenhouse, but no fruit set was obtained (Table I). During 1964, 206 flowers of clone #71 were pollinated with normal pollen and two berries set. One berry had one good seed and the other had seven good seeds. Six plants were grown from these seeds and all were at least partially female-fertile. A total of 484 bacltcrosses of these six F1 plants to normal plants gave all female-fertile plants. When the F, plants were bacltcrossed to the female sterile parent using the latter as a male parent, only six plants were obtained. Three of these are female sterile, two are female fertile, and one has not flowered.