EVALUATION OF BLUEBERRY SPECIES TO DIFFERENT SOIL AND CLIMATES OF JILIN PROVINCE OF CHINA

Growth, yield and cold resistance of nineteen highbush (Vaccinium corymbosum and V. ashei), half-high (V. corymbosum x angustifolium) and lowbush blueberry (V. angustifolium) cultivars introduced from the United States, Canada, Poland, Finland and Germany were studied in Fusong, Linjiang, Helong and Changchun in Jilin Province from 1998 to 2001. The plant growth and vigor of tested cultivars may be ranked as highbush < half-high < lowbush. The single plant yields of highbush blueberry were the highest of three blueberry types, but significant differences existed among the tested cultivars. Half-high and lowbush cultivars were highly productive, the average plant yield of fourth year plants of the four cultivars evaluated were equivalent to most of the highbush cultivars. Because of the higher plant density of the half-high and lowbush cultivars, yields in certain areas with different soil types were higher than the highbush cultivars. Cold injury occurred principally on highbush cultivars with 50% to 70% percent of the shoots seriously injured on plants not protected. Minimal cold injury occurred on half-high cultivars, and almost no cold injury was found on the lowbush cultivars. Yields of the same cultivars differed by location. The yield of most highbush cultivars in the Changchun region were higher than that in other areas. Yields of half-high and lowbush from the Changbai Mountain region were than the Changchun region. The highbush blueberry was determined to be the best suited for cultivation in the Changchun region of Jilin Province, because of the longer growing season.