imprint:
American Society for Horticultural Science, 1994
Published in:HortScience
Language:
Not determined
DOI:
10.21273/hortsci.29.5.540a
ISSN:
0018-5345;
2327-9834
Origination:
Footnote:
Description:
<jats:p>Variability in sucrose levels and metabolism in ripe fruit of several <jats:italic>Vaccinium</jats:italic> species were examined. The objective was to determine if sufficient variability for fruit sucrose accumulation was present in existing populations to warrant attempts to breed for high-sucrose fruit, which potentially would be less subject to bird predation. Three-fold differences in fruit sucrose concentration were found among species, ranging from 19 to 24 mg·(g fw)<jats:sup>-1</jats:sup> in V. <jats:italic>stamineum</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>V. arboreum</jats:italic> to about 7 mg·(g fw)<jats:sup>-1</jats:sup> in cultivated blueberry (<jats:italic>V. ashei</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>V.</jats:italic> corymbosum) and <jats:italic>V. darrowi</jats:italic>. Soluble acid invertase activity was negatively correlated with fruit sucrose concentration. There was no apparent correlation between fruit sugar concentration and either sucrose phosphate synthase or sucrose synthase activities, both of which were low for all species studied. The degree of variability in fruit sucrose accumulation among <jats:italic>Vaccinium</jats:italic> species supports the feasibility of developing high sucrose fruit, which would be a potentially valuable addition to current strategies of minimizing crop losses to birds.</jats:p>