Variety traits

Self-fertility of highbush blueberry

Vaccinium corymbosum L.

The ability of blueberry cultivars to set fruit when pollinated with their own pollen in the absence of insects. This trait is evaluated as the percentage of berries set relative to the total number of isolated flowers.

In the reference 52 varieties crop Highbush blueberry, where this is mentioned in the description.

To assess the degree of self-fertility in highbush blueberries, branches are isolated before the onset of flowering, preventing pollen transfer by insects. The final index is determined as the ratio of the number of set berries to the total number of isolated flowers.

Blueberry cultivars are categorized into groups based on their fruit set level: highly self-fertile (more than 50%), good self-fertility (30–44%), moderately self-fertile (20–27%), low self-fertility (5–18%), and self-sterile (less than 5%). This trait is subject to the influence of the climatic conditions of a specific year.

Although highly self-fertile cultivars ensure yield stability during unfavorable weather and low insect activity, self-pollination in blueberries is almost always inferior to cross-pollination. Cross-pollination results in higher fruit set, increased berry size, and a higher seed count; therefore, it is recommended to plant several cultivars with similar flowering periods in the same field.

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

Sources8

Varieties of Highbush blueberry 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.