2021 journal article

Genotype, Environment, Year, and Harvest Effects on Fruit Quality Traits of Five Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) Cultivars

AGRONOMY-BASEL, 11(9).

author keywords: blueberry; Vaccinium corymbosum; genotype by environment; fruit quality; Maker-Assisted-Selection
TL;DR: Assessment of genotypic performance of five blueberry cultivars indicated that genotype was a significant source of variation for most phenotypic characteristics and clonal plant replicates within a genotype, harvest, and environment, in addition to individual fruit measures, were the most significant sources of variability. (via Semantic Scholar)
UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
13. Climate Action (Web of Science; OpenAlex)
14. Life Below Water (Web of Science)
15. Life on Land (Web of Science)
Source: Web Of Science
Added: October 4, 2021

Blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) comprise a broad range of perennial woody species. Introgression of native species into cultivated germplasm has adapted Vaccinium germplasm to a range of climates and growing conditions for cultivated blueberry. Genetic differences signify phenotypic variance that is observed among blueberry accessions. In addition, variability in geographic and climatic growing conditions between environments or within the same environment across different years may further affect fruit and plant phenotypic expression. As a result, a phenotype is a function of genetic background (G), environment (E), and their interaction (G × E). In addition, other temporally regulated factors such as year (Y) and harvest time (H) impact plant and fruit quality phenotypic variation. Our research aimed to assess the genotypic performance of five blueberry cultivars, including ‘Echota’, ‘O’Neal’, ‘Reveille’, ‘Summit’, and ‘Sunrise’. The selected cultivars were phenotyped for various fruit quality-related traits over two sequential harvests in two years and two locations. Our results indicated that genotype was a significant source of variation for most phenotypic characteristics. Further, the effect of Y × H and G × Y × H significantly affected the majority of studied phenotypic traits. Within the studied genotypes, ‘Reveille’ and ‘O’Neal’ phenotypic stability were consistent across locations and years; additionally, ‘Summit’ phenotypic characteristics were stable across years, environments, and harvests. Clonal plant replicates within a genotype, harvest, and environment, in addition to individual fruit measures, were the most significant sources of variability.