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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » National Clonal Germplasm Repository » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #411378
Research Project: Conservation and Utilization of Temperate-Adapted Fruit, Nut, and Other Specialty Crop Genetic Resources

Location: National Clonal Germplasm Repository

Title: Developing climate scenarios for maintenance of clonal germplasm of blueberries, cranberries, lingonberries, huckleberries, and their crop wild relatives

Author
item Bassil, Nahla
item Oliphant, James - Jim

Submitted to: International Vaccinium Symposium
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/2024
Publication Date: 8/24/2024
Citation: Bassil, N.V., Oliphant, J.M. 2024. Developing climate scenarios for maintenance of clonal germplasm of blueberries, cranberries, lingonberries, huckleberries, and their crop wild relatives. International Vaccinium Symposium.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The genus Vaccinium L. and its crop wild relatives in the Vaccinieae (Ericaceae) comprise a natural group of over 1200 species with a worldwide distribution. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Clonal Germplasm Repository (NCGR) in Corvallis, Oregon maintains a clonal collection of the genus Vaccinium and its crop wild relatives. This collection is the most ecologically diverse germplasm of any croptype maintained in the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS). While the economically important croptypes of Vaccinium occur in temperate and arctic/alpine regions, the great majority of species occur on tropical mountains with growth habits ranging from terrestrial trees and shrubs to epiphytes. Species that occur at high latitude, high elevation, or low latitude and high elevation are generally intolerant of high temperatures and variable in cold hardiness and dormancy requirements. Maintaining this clonal germplasm requires specialized greenhouse environments to accommodate heat intolerant and frost tender accessions. In this study, we present and compare estimated heat tolerance and latitudinal distribution for 36 Vaccinium species from North America and Hawaii, using estimates of heat tolerance (number of days >30°C) from Heat-Zone maps for the United States and Mexico. Heat tolerance, cold hardiness, and dormancy requirements (chilling hours <7°C) for these 36 species were used to define four climate scenarios to maintain Vaccinium and its crop wild relatives.