VACCINIUM OVALIFOLIUM SMITH. IN NATURAL CENOPOPULATIONS OF SAKHALIN

Background. Identification and study of selected forms of oval-leaved blueberry in natural coenopopulations of Sakhalin Island will create a favorable basis for modern breeding work. Purpose. The goal was to isolate and study selected forms of Vaccinium ovalifolium Smith. in natural coenopopulations of Sakhalin Island. Material and methods. The object of research was natural populations of Vaccinium ovalifolium growing on Sakhalin Island. The study of blueberries in natural habitats was carried out during expeditionary trips to the central and southern regions of Sakhalin in the period 2020-2022. Plants from 2 cenopopulations were studied for the distribution of blueberries in hard-to-reach places. Geobotanical descriptions of the vegetation of phytocenoses were carried out according to the generally accepted method of A.A. Poniatovskaya “Taking into account the abundance and nature of the distribution of plants in communities” (1964). The species composition of plant communities was determined within the detection area. The total projective cover (TPC) of the grass stand and the projective cover of the dominant species were determined by eye method, in %. We studied the endogenous variability of the following traits: the number of berries, the weight and size of one berry, the length and width of the leaf blade, the height and age of the bushes. A correlation analysis was carried out between morphological characteristics and yield characteristics in the trial plots. Height, age, maximum and minimum crown diameter, degree of fruiting, and number of berries were analyzed. Mathematical and statistical processing of research results was carried out according to generally accepted methods using Excel software. Results. The article is devoted to a new promising shrub for Russia, Vaccinium ovalifolium - a species of deciduous shrub from the genus Vaccinium of the Ericaceae family, a shrub up to 1.5-2 m tall. It blooms in May–June, the flowers are pink, up to 6 mm in size, the fruits are dark blue, often black with a waxy coating, ripen in August–September, the juice in the berries is clear, the taste is sweet and sour. The leaves are oblong - round or ovate, entire-marginal or with small ciliated teeth 2-5 cm long and 1-2.5 cm wide, matte, light green. Polymorphism of natural cenopopulations of V. ovalifolium during expeditionary surveys made it possible to identify several promising forms with economically valuable traits. In the process of phylogenesis of V. ovalifolium, ecologically resistant populations to the unfavorable environmental factors of Sakhalin Island were formed. Selected samples of V. ovalifolium with valuable pomological traits are currently propagated and grown on the territory of the Botanical Garden of the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk at the site of primary variety testing, to compare the resource value of local natural eco-genetic lines with the introduced, most common modern varieties of V. corymbosum. Experience has been laid in assessing selected forms of oval-leaved blueberries for agrotechnical techniques and agricultural conditions, with the subsequent development of technological recommendations for cultivation in an industrial garden in the conditions of Sakhalin Island. Conclusion. The polymorphism of natural cenopopulations of V. ovalifolium on Sakhalin Island was studied with the selection of promising forms that can be used for breeding purposes.