ISHS Acta Horticulturae 715: VIII International Symposium on Vaccinium Culture
TAXONOMIC STATUS OF RABBITEYE BLUEBERRY AND IMPLICATIONS FOR ITS FURTHER IMPROVEMENT |
| Author: | J.R. Ballington |
| Abstract:
The specific epithet of the rabbiteye blueberry has recently been changed from Vaccinium ashei Reade to Vaccinium virgatum Aiton, based on prior publication. As presently interpreted, V. virgatum is an extremely variable hexaploid species that occurs from South Carolina to Georgia and northern Florida and westward to east Texas and Arkansas. The hereditary background of V. virgatum is dominated by the genome of V. tenellum Ait., but also involves introgression from V. corymbosum, V. darrowi, and V. elliottii. Plant habit ranges from stoloniferous with stems 0.2m tall to crown-forming with stems 2+m tall, often within the same population. Leaves and fruit respectively range from nonglaucous and black to glaucous and blue. Taxa formerly designated as V. ashei likely are representative of more highly introgressed subpopulations within the overall range of the species. Hybrid progenies involving wild nonglaucous V. virgatum with glaucous-leaved and -fruited cultivated rabbiteye are fully fertile and segregate for the glaucous-leaved and -fruited trait. Trangressive segregation for early ripening is also common in such progenies, along with improved aromatic flavor. Genotypes from the northern end of the range have the potential to improve cold hardiness in future rabbiteye cultivars. Equally as important, this represents a large germplasm reservoir for broadening the germplasm base in a crop where the present base is extremely narrow. | |
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