Buds morphological characteristics of different higbush blueberry cultivars introduced in Belarusian Polesie

Abstract

A comparative evaluation of the morphometric parameters of generative and vegetative buds of 15 cultivars of highbush blueberry and a single cultivar of lowbush blueberry. Generative buds are more often ovate, less often oval, 4.4-6.6 mm long, 2.4‒3.1 mm wide. Vegetative buds are oblong-ovate in length 1.5‒2.7 mm, width 1.2‒1.7 mm. The size of the buds and the number of leaf rudiments in them increase from the base of the annual shoot to its terminal bud. The largest average number of generative buds was observed in the stunted cultivar Putte (8.5 pieces/shoot). In the blueberry cultivars, the taller one is 2 or more times less: from 1.7 (Puru) to 4.2 (Brigitta Blue) pcs/shoot. As the length of branching branches increases, the number of buds increases, and their density decreases on the contrary. The ratio of growth and flowering buds in highbush blueberry cultivars is from 1.2 (Goldtraube) to 5.2 (Puru), and in the lowbush blueberry Putte ‒ 0.5. Most of the buds of blueberry plants are located on the tops of shoots and in solitary sinuses alone, less often a complex of collateral buds is formed, including 2, rarely 3 kidneys, in Brigitta Blue and Spartan - up to 4 buds.

Biometric parameters and shape of the buds, the densities of the buds to escape, the ratio of vegetative and generative buds are varietal particularities and can be used in identification of blueberry cultivars.