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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Genetic Improvement for Fruits & Vegetables Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #408769
Research Project: Accelerating Blueberry and Cranberry Improvement by Exploiting Germplasm Resources and Multi-omics Technologies

Location: Genetic Improvement for Fruits & Vegetables Laboratory

Title: Intersectional hybrids of the relict species, box huckleberry (Gaylussacia brachycera), with dwarf huckleberry (Gaylussacia dumosa)

Author
item Ehlenfeldt, Mark
item LUTEYN, JAMES - New York Botanical Garden
item Zalapa, Juan
item DE LA TORRE, FERNANDO - University Of Wisconsin

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/31/2024
Publication Date: 10/7/2024
Citation: Ehlenfeldt, M.K., Luteyn, J.L., Zalapa, J.E., De La Torre, F. 2024. Intersectional hybrids of the relict species, box huckleberry (Gaylussacia brachycera), with dwarf huckleberry (Gaylussacia dumosa). HortScience. 59(11):1597–1602. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI17916-24.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI17916-24

Interpretive Summary: Huckleberry is a genus related to blueberry about which very few crossability studies have been performed. Understanding crossing relations within Huckleberry may facilitate their use in blueberry and huckleberry breeding. Pollinations were made between the ancient cold-adapted evergreen Box Huckleberry and Dwarf Huckleberry. Pollinations succeeded at a low level and produced very few viable hybrids. Most of these hybrids had Box Huckleberry as the female with fewer hybrids having Dwarf Huckleberry as the female. These hybrids were distinct from the parents in their morphology and generally intermediate between the parents. The hybrids shed little pollen, but pollen observations showed indications of low levels of viability. One hybrid flowered sufficiently to allow collection of pollen, and to allow subsequent crosses of the hybrid to Box Huckleberry females. Four progeny have been produced from this cross. These progeny are notable for being the first recorded hybrids of Box Huckleberry with any other huckleberry related species. This information will be of interest to blueberry and huckleberry breeders and researchers for characterization, preservation and development of new cultivars.

Technical Abstract: Gaylussacia brachycera (box huckleberry) is a unique relict species and is the monospecific member of Gaylussacia sect. Vitis-idaea. As part of investigations to understand interspecific crossability in Gaylussacia, pollinations were made between evergreen 2x G. brachycera and deciduous 2x G. dumosa (dwarf huckleberry). The primary pollinations succeeded at a low level and produced four viable hybrids. Three of these hybrids had box huckleberry as the female, and one of them, dwarf huckleberry, as the female. Morphologically, these hybrids were distinct from the parents and were generally intermediate. The fertility of the hybrids was low, but one hybrid flowered sufficiently to allow collection of pollen and to backcross it as a male to box huckleberry. Four BC1 hybrids were produced from this cross. The F1 and BC1 hybrids were all verified using simple sequence repeat markers developed for the closely related genus Vaccinium. These hybrids are notable for being the first recorded hybrids of this rare species, G. brachycera, with any other Gaylussacia species, and these hybrids are expected to lead to a better understanding of species relationships both within Gaylussacia and between Gaylussacia and Vaccinium.