Bioecological features of lowbush blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton in the Moscow Region, Russia

Document Type : Reviewers

Authors

Department of Ornamental Horticulture and Lawn Science, Russian State Agrarian University – Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy

10.22124/cjes.2025.9376

Abstract

The results of a study on the bioecological characteristics of lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton) cultivars (Lakomka, Neya, Pomorochka) under the introduction conditions of the R.I. Schroeder Arboretum (Moscow, Russia) are presented. Anatomical analysis revealed that plant leaves not only exhibited an increase in the linear size of chlorenchyma cells, but also a change in the ratio of spongy and columnar mesophyll. An increase in the palisade coefficient and stomatal index of leaves of V. angustifolium varieties was recorded from 2023 to 2025, indicating an elevation in the photosynthetic activity of plants and their adaptation to the light and heat conditions of the Moscow Region, Russia. The highest value of stomatal index of leaves in 2025 (Ui = 32.08) was noted for the Pomorochka cultivar, while the lowest value (Ui = 27.20)  for the Neya cultivar. The low coefficient of variation of the studied anatomical parameters of leaves of cultivar plants in 2025 indicates stabilization of the morphometric characteristics of leaves under the conditions of introduction. The assessment of the yield of varieties showed that in 2025 the Pomorochka cultivar had the highest yield (5.58 kg/bush), while the Neya cultivar the lowest (4.16 kg/bush). The Neya cultivar had the highest berry weight (1.28 g), while the Pomorochka cultivar the lowest (1.12 g). The low coefficient of variation for the yield and fruit weight of V. angustifolium cultivars in 2025 indicates stabilization of economically valuable traits under the conditions of introduction in the Moscow Region, Russia. V. angustifolium cultivars showed fairly good winter hardiness. The survival of plants after the winter of 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 was 100%. The experiment noted partial freezing of annual shoots in the studied V. angustifolium cultivars (freezing severity 1–2). The Pomorochka cultivar proved to be the most winter-hardy under the experimental conditions over the entire observation period, as the plants exhibited the lowest percentage of damaged annual shoots and buds. The least winter-hardy of all the studied varieties was the Neya cultivar, which exhibited the highest degree of damage to the above-ground parts of the plants over the entire observation period.

Keywords


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Volume 23, Issue 5
Special issue: Biological Researches and Envireonment, Guest Editor: Prof. Hamed Mousavi-Sabet, University of Guilan, Iran
December 2025
Pages 1353-1364