LE3 .A278 2004

2004

MacKenzie, Kenna
Vander Kloet, Sam

Acadia University

Master of Science

Masters

Biology

Biology

The sweet lowbush blueberry ('Vaccinium angustifolium' Aiton) is both phenotypically and genotypically polymorphic. This study investigates the genomic polymorphism of the lowbush blueberry in a reproductive context, by comparing RAPD molecular markers of known selected clones with a variety of reproductive indices, including berry yield, seed set, and pollen viability. Clones tended to segregate into either good berry producers or good pollen producers which suggests that an unknown evolutionary mechanism may be pushing the lowbush blueberry towards the separation of female floral function from male floral function. Maintenance of polymorphism in 'V. angustifolium ' can be attributed to the longevity of clones and the rarity of successful seedling recruitment. RAPDs gave an excess of polymorphic bands and the average similarity was only 20%. Nonetheless, RAPDs successfully segregated the selected lowbush clones into high and low yielding groups. This shows that RAPD analysis may be a viable technique for the selection of wild seedlings with good reproductive traits for transplant into new or poor lowbush blueberry fields.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:2888