INTRODUCTION AND BREEDING OF VACCINIACEAE IN SIBERIA. A. B. Gorbunoy Head of the Laboratory of Introduction of Food Plants, Central Siberian Botanical Garden, the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia Abstract Investigations on the introduction of Vacciniaceae S.F. Gray have been carried out in the Central Siberian Botanical Garden since 1965. We have studied 26 species, 42 cultivars and 913 forms introduced from natural conditions and breeding centres of Eurasia and North America and identified prospective ones for cultivation and breeding. Twenty forms of Oxycoccus gigas Hagerup and 26 forms of Vaccinium uliginosum L. have been selected from the natural populations of Western Siberia from a complex of valuable signs. Methods have been developed for the creation of interspecific and intergeneric hybrids, polyploids and mutants, making preparations for chromosome calculation, longterm storage of pollen, seed, vegetative and microclonal propagation and breeding process acceleration. The collection of living plants contains 20 species, 414 natural specimens of different geographical origin, 128 selected forms, 70 cultivars and 319 interspecific hybrids. The Family Vacciniaceae S.f. Gray (= subfamily Vaccinioideae Drude from family Ericaceae D.C.) contains about 20 genera and 300 species. As food plants the species of the genera Vaccinium L. (subgenera Cyanococcus Gray, Euvaccinium Gray and others) and Oxycoccus Hill / = subgenus Oxycoccus (Hill) Gray/ are the most important, These genera contain more than 150 species. Vaccinium and Oxycoccus of North America such as large cranberry - ). macrocarpus Pursh ( = V. macrocarpon Ait.), highbush blueberry (V.corymbosum L., V. australe Small, and their hybrids between each other and with species of lowbush blueberry), rabbiteye blueberry (V.ashei Reade) and lowbush blueberry (V. angustifolium Ait.) are grown as commercial cultivars. At present the investigations on the introduction of small cranberry (O. palustris Pers. or rather its hexaploid race O.gigas Hagerup), cowberry (V.vitis-idaea L.), bog bilberry (V. uliginosum L.) and whortleberry (V. myrtillus L.) are being carried out in Russia and other countries of Europe. Acta Horticulturae 346, 1993 Vaccinium Culture V 103In Siberia there are 7 species of Vacciniaceae in nature/V. uliginosum, V. vitis-idaen, V. myrtillus, O.palustris, O.microcarpus Turcz. ex Rupr., O.gigas and V.minus (Lodd) Worosch./, the latter two are doubtful due to insufficient study of their systematics and geography. Oxyccocus gigas, V. uliginosum and V.vitis-idaea show the best prospects for introduction. The investigations on the introduction of Vacciniaceae have been carried out in the Central Siberian Botanical Garden since 1965, at the Bakchar base of northern horticulture (Tomsk regions) - since 1976 and in the botanical Garden of Irkutsk State University - since 1987. The investigations on the introduction of cranberries began in the Central Siberian botanical Garden in 1965, of bog bilberry in 1969 and other congeneric species in 1971. On experimental plots of the laboratory, 26 species from Europe, Asia and North America were tried. Vaccinum arboreum Marsh, V. arctostaphylos L. V.bracteatum Thunb., V. caespitosum Michx., V. ovatum Pursh and V-parvifolium Smith. Of these, 26 species died during winter. It was established, that species from Siberia, the Russian Far East and North America (lowbush blueberry) had the most potential for growing in Siberia. Highbush and rabbiteye blueberries did not grow very well in the open on our. experimen‘al plots because of the lack of heat and short summer. However, the plants are not killed by frost in winter if they are protected by snow. Early cultivars of the large cranberry form, at best, hali-ripe berries. Heat-loving species from North America and South-East Asia exhibit all cycles of seasonal development, when they are grown in a greenhouse covered with polyethylene film from the second half of May until the middle of September. Gradual hardening of shoots occurs from the third week of August. In such conditions a range of species and cultivars especially early ones, flower and form berries. Collections of Vacciniaceae in our Botanical Garden are represented by live plants, seeds and harbarium specimens. Collections of live plants are placed in both open and protected areas. The collections contains 20 species, 414 natural specimens of different geographical origin, 128 selected forms, 70 cultivars and 319 interspecific hybrids. We have developed the method of marking preparations for calculation of chromosome numbers in the radicular and apical meristems of Oxycoccus. When using this method it has been established, that the different biotypes had 24 and 36 chromosomes (O.microcarpus), 48, 54, 56, 60, 64, 72, 90, 112 and 144 chromosomes (O.palustris sensuato) in meristematic cells. Some biotypes had cells with different numbers of chromosomes (mixoploids). As a result. of investigations the hexaploid race (2 n = 72) of O. palustris/ = O. gigas, O. hagerupii Love & Love, O.hagerupii (L. & L.) Ahokas/was determined to be widespread in the forest and forest-steppe zones of the northern hemisphere including Siberia. Natural pentaploid races (2 n = 60) of this are also met but more seldom. Our 104data prove, that the natural interspecific hybridization of Oxycoccus is a widespread phenomenon. In the process of studying wild populations and collected material, 20 forms of small cranberry and 26 forms of bog bilberry have been selected from a complex of valuable signs. Moreover 79 and 1 selected forms respectively, have been introduced from different research centres of Russia and other countries. Yurkovka forms of bog bilberry which we selected from the natural populations of the Novosibirsk region are the best for yield, self-fertilization, dimension and mass of berries. The form N 4-12 has the following characteristics: its yield is 2.1 kg of berries from a bush, self-fertilization is 31.7%, berry dimension is 12.3 x 10.7 mm and mass of one berry is 0.74 g. The form N 3-11 has 1.5 kg, 19.6%, 12.0 x 11.0 mm, 0.69 g, respectively and the form N 4-7 has 1.2 kg, 52.0-84.3%, 12.66 x 11.6 mm, 0.71 g. When taking into account the more dense planting on 1 ha these forms are not inferior in yield to the best sorts of highbush blueberry. The Yurkovka forms of cranberry (O. gigas) which we selected are characterized by large berries (to 18 x 1.3 cm and 1.5 g) but of different shape, long (>1m) and thick (to 2 mm), shoots which have large leaves (to 25 x 10 mm) and a high yield (about 1 kg/m?). We have also found a form with a large number of erect shoots. The investigations on the interspecific and intergeneric hybridization of Vaccinium and Oxycoccus have been carried out in the Central Siberian Botanical Garden since 1981. For this purpose we have developed the method of long-term storage (1-5 years and more) of pollen from Vaccinium and Oxycoccus. Berries and seeds set when both fresh and long-term stored pollen was used in the crosses. In different combinations of crosses 102 forms of bog bilberry, 20 cultivars and 8 forms of highbush blueberry, 3 cultivars of V. angustifolium 3 cultivars of rabbiteye blueberry, with one form of V.lamarckii Camp, V. myrtilloides Michx., V. myrtillus, 4 forms of V. vitis-idaea, 4 forms of O. microcarpus, 5 cultivars of O.macrocarpus, 10 forms O palustris (2n = 48) and O.gigas were used. Berries and seeds were formed when crossing forms of bog bilberry with species, varieties and forms of highbush; lowbush and rabbiteye blueberries; large cranberry and cowberry; highbush blueberry with rabbiteye blueberry; V. angustifolium with rabbiteye blueberry; 0. gigas with O. muacrocarpus, O. microcarpus, bog bilberry, highbush blueberry, V. angustifolium, rabbiteye blueberry and V. vitis-idaea; O.microcarpus with O. macrocarpus, O.macrocarpus with V-vitis- idaea; V. vitis-idaea with rabbiteye blueberry. The greatest number of hybrids was created from the combinations of crossing bog bilberry with species and cultivars of highbush, lowbush and rabbiteye blueberries. Hybrids between bog bilberry and highbush blueberry (cultivars June and Rancocas) and between bog bilberry and rabbiteye blueberry (cultivars Woodard and Delite) are of the greatest interest. 105We have thus developed methods of creation of cranberry polyploids and mutants, seed and vegetative propagation of Vacciniaceae including microclonal propagation of cranberry, and breeding process acceleration. In future the main attention will be given. to the maximum inclusion of the natural Siberian and world genepool in the breeding process as well as the creation of interspecific and integeneric hybrids by the use of different breeding methods, intense propagation of selected forms, their testing and introduction.