Morphological and genetic diversity of European cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos L., Ericaceae) clones in Lithuanian reserves

The wild-harvested fruit of Vaccinium oxycoccos (European cranberry) is used medicinally in many European and North American countries; the plant, however, is seldom cultivated. In order to optimize the collection strategy and improve the horticulturally important characters of V. oxycoccos clones, comprehensive investigations of the species are necessary. In the present study we investigated the phenological, morphological and genetic diversity of 29 clones originating from two wild populations growing in two strictly protected Lithuanian reserves, Čepkeliai and Žuvintas. During an ex situ collection at Kaunas Botanical Garden, we observed great phenological variation between the collected V. oxycoccos clones. The following morphological traits most clearly distinguished our study clones: leaf size, berry shape, berry size and fruit colour at full maturity. The genetic variation of V. oxycoccos clones from the two populations was assessed using RAPD and SSR. RAPD analysis conducted with 9 primers resulted in 146 polymorphic loci for the total sample, and SSR analysis with 5 primers revealed 29 alleles for the total sample. A greater degree of polymorphism was demonstrated for the Čepkeliai population than for the Žuvintas population. The study allowed the selection of several clones having promising morphological traits for further testing in the field

Effect of forest clear cuts on plant–pollinator interactions: the case of three ericaceous subshrubs in Lithuanian pine forests

Managed boreal pine forests are subject to regular clear cuts causing significant disturbances to these ecosystems. It is believed that, to some extent, they resemble natural cycles of forest growth, decline, and regeneration and can benefit, e.g., mutualistic relations among plants and pollinators. To study the impact of forest management (clear cuts) on pollinator visitation, we focused on three ericaceous plant species, Vaccinium myrtillus, V. vitis-idaea, and Calluna vulgaris, common elements of pine forest understory. Our observations, conducted in Lithuania, showed that there are no differences among control mature stands and clear cut areas in terms of visitation frequency for all three studied species. However, at least for C. vulgaris, a shift toward fly visits was observed in the clear cut site, showing that open areas are preferred habitats for these insects. Ants constituted an important share of visitors to flowers of V. myrtillus and C. vulgaris, suggesting their important role in reproduction of these plant species

Morphological and genetic diversity of European cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos L., Ericaceae) clones in Lithuanian reserves

The wild-harvested fruit of Vaccinium oxycoccos (European cranberry) is used medicinally in many European and North American countries; the plant, however, is seldom cultivated. In order to optimize the collection strategy and improve the horticulturally important characters of V. oxycoccos clones, comprehensive investigations of the species are necessary. In the present study we investigated the phenological, morphological and genetic diversity of 29 clones originating from two wild populations growing in two strictly protected Lithuanian reserves, Čepkeliai and Žuvintas. During an ex situ collection at Kaunas Botanical Garden, we observed great phenological variation between the collected V. oxycoccos clones. The following morphological traits most clearly distinguished our study clones: leaf size, berry shape, berry size and fruit colour at full maturity. The genetic variation of V. oxycoccos clones from the two populations was assessed using RAPD and SSR. RAPD analysis conducted with 9 primers resulted in 146 polymorphic loci for the total sample, and SSR analysis with 5 primers revealed 29 alleles for the total sample. A greater degree of polymorphism was demonstrated for the Čepkeliai population than for the Žuvintas population. The study allowed the selection of several clones having promising morphological traits for further testing in the field

The cowberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) : the perspective of utilization of the aboveground biomass and preservation of its resources

Botanikos sodasVytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Uoginių kultūrų auginimo technologijos : metodiniai patarimai praktiniams darbams : [priedas prie mokomosios knygos]

Botanikos sodasVytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Vaistinių ir maistinių miško išteklių naudojimas : mokomoji knyga

Vytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Netradicinių sodo augalų introdukcijos vertinimas : habilitacijos procedūrai teikiamų mokslo darbų apžvalga : biomedicinos mokslai (B 000), biologija (01 B)

Bibliogr.: p. 34-36Vytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Bruknių auginimas

Šilauogės ir kiti vertingi uoginiai augalai: "Mano ūkio" priedasBotanikos sodasVytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Kanados spanguolių augintojai dairosi į Europą

Botanikos sodasVytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Vaistinių ir maistinių miško išteklių naudojimas : metodiniai patarimai praktiniams darbams : [priedas prie mokomosios knygos]

Vytauto Didžiojo universiteta