Genetic characteristics of self fertility in highbush and half-high blueberries

Parents and ten progeny from each of ten controlled crosses, and thirteen progeny from G65 x 'Ashworth' were self and outcross pollinated to study the inheritance of self fertility and the associations between self fertility and zygotic inbreeding levels in highbush and half-high blueberry genotypes. Reductions in self fertility were apparently a response to increased inbreeding. Both percent fruit set and seeds per pollination were negatively associated with family zygotic inbreeding coefficients. Although inbreeding depression was responsible for much of the observed self fertility responses, an environmental component was apparent as well. A continuous distribution of self fertility levels among the G65 x 'Ashworth' progeny provided little evidence for simple inheritance of this trait. Estimates of heritability were not significant and some evidence of specific combining ability was detected, indicating that parental self fertility was not predictive of the self fertility of the progeny in this study. Variation for self fertility including high levels in some individuals indicates a potential level of self fertility which could be incorporated into future selections and cultivars.