Assessment of the regeneration capacity of new varieties of highbush blueberry under vegetative propagation

Abstract

The article presents the results of a comparative study carried out in the southern agroclimatic area of Belarus in contrasting weather conditions of the seasons 2021–2023. The regeneration capacity of 6 new introduced varieties of highbush blueberry with different ripening periods, in particular, early-ripening Chanticleer and Hannah’s Choice varieties; mid-ripening Bluegold and Harrison varieties and late-ripening Aurora and Rubel varieties, as well as related regionalized Weymouth, Bluecrop and Elliot varieties, used as references for comparison, was researched. A high dependence of the rhizogenesis processes and new shoot formations during the propagation of blueberry with softwood cuttings on the plant genotype and weather conditions of the growing period was established. The most pronounced rooting capacity of stem cuttings, comparable to that of the corresponding regionalized varieties, was demonstrated by the Chanticleer, Hannah’s Choice and Harrison varieties, while the least prominent capacity was characteristic for the Bluegold and Aurora varieties. Among the tested varieties, the greatest capacity of rooted cuttings to form new shoots compared to standard varieties was found only in the mid-ripening Bluegold variety, while the lowest – in both late-ripening Aurora and Rubel varieties. It was shown that Harrison variety was marked by the most significant total length of the newly formed shoots and the Rubel variety was marked by the least.