Field Performance of `Sanna' Lingonberry Derived by Micropropagation vs. Stem Cuttings

Abstract

Field performance in lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. cv. Sanna) was compared in 1995–97 for plants produced by tissue culture (TC) vs. stem cuttings (SC). Pot plants of about the same size were transplanted from the nursery to an infertile, sandy moraine soil. Survival was 97% for the TC plants but only 83% for the SC plants. Fruit yield was significantly greater for TC plants than for SC plants in both the second (+79%) and third (+190%) years, but mean fruit weight was not influenced by propagation method. Rhizome production and total plant weight were also greater for the TC plants. Although micropropagation may give rise to somaclonal variation, no obviously variant plants were apparent in the field.