Variety traits

Self-fertility in Vaccinium

Vaccinium L.

Self-fertility in Vaccinium is determined by the percentage of fruit set when cross-pollination is excluded and is limited by the biological characteristics of the flower.

In the reference 14 varieties crop Bilberry, where this is mentioned in the description.

For Vaccinium crops, self-fertility is assessed by isolating inflorescences before flower opening, followed by comparing the number of fruits set with a control group under open pollination. Highly self-fertile cultivars are those that set more than 50% of berries, while self-sterile cultivars are those with an index below 10%.

A biological barrier to effective self-pollination in Vaccinium is protandry, where anthers mature before the stigma. Even with partial self-fertility, cross-pollination is critical for the formation of larger berries and an increase in the number of seeds, which necessitates the selection of pollinizer cultivars when establishing commercial plantations.

General information about the subject — on the page Self-fertility.

Sources5

Varieties of Bilberry mentioned in the description

Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.