Protocol Information

Joel L. Douglas
USDA NRCS - Coffeeville/Jamie L. Whitten Plant Materials Center
2533 County Road 65
Coffeeville, Mississippi 38922-2652
(601) 675-2588
(601) 675-2369
jdouglas@ms.nrcs.usda.gov

Family Scientific Name:	Asteraceae
Scientific Name:	Vaccinium elliottii Chapman
Common Name:	Elliott’s blueberry
Species Code:	VAEL
General Distribution:	Elliott’s blueberry is found from southeastern Virginia to Florida, west to Louisiana.
Propagation Goal:	Plants
Propagation Method:	Vegetative
Product Type:	Propagules (seeds, cuttings, poles, etc.)
Target Specifications:	Stock Type: Containerized. Height: 0.3 to 1.2 meter (1 to 4 feet).
Propagule Collection:	Collected in Natchez Trace Parkway close to Jackson, Mississippi PMC personnel in June, 1991 (cuttings), February 1992 (cuttings), June 1992 (layered plants and seeds).
Propagule Processing:	Seed Processing: Fruits were macerated in a blender and pulp and immature seeds were removed by floating. Seeds were dried and any remaining impurities were removed by hand screening.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Seed Treatments: Many blueberry species require no pretreatment, while others require stratification for up to 3 months (Dirr and Heuser, 1987). Stratification is recommended for species where the level of dormancy is unknown (Dirr and Heuser, 1987; Nokes, 1986). Seeds of Elliott’s blueberry were stratified for 3 to 4 months, but germination was minimal. Seeds germinated when exposed to a warm stratification followed by a cold stratification, however, seedlings grew very slowly under ambient greenhouse conditions. Potential causes for this might be the light levels in the greenhouse were excessive for this understory species, the potting medium used was not suitable, or the seedlings require mycorrhizal associations for proper growth which were lacking in the potting medium.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Propagation Environment: Field (divisions) and greenhouse (cuttings). Seed Propagation Method: Had little success germinating seeds. Container Type and Volume: Commercial 2-gallon plastic containers were the final planting container for the 3X section. Plants to be planted on the other sections needed to be held longer so they were moved from a 2 to a 3-gallon in 1995. Growing Media: Media was mixed by PMC staff. Either a 3:2:1 pine bark, peat moss, sand or a 6:1 pine bark to sand medium was used.
Establishment Phase:	Sowing Date: February to March. Emergence and Date: Very poor emergence. Sowing/Planting Technique: Spread the stratified seed/growing medium mixture on the surface of a growing flat.
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Harvest Date: May to June. Seed Storage: Normal cool, dry storage. PMC cooler is maintained at 12.70 C (550 F) and 45% relative humidity. Seed Dormancy: Blueberries generally have a shallowly dormant embryo (Dirr and Heuser, 1987; Nokes, 1986). Storage Duration: Blueberry seeds can retain viability in storage for up to 12 years (USDA Forest Service, 1974).
Length of Storage:	Storage Duration: Up to 12 years.
Outplanting performance on typical sites:	Outplanting Site: Natchez Trace Parkway 3X section and others. Outplanting Date: 3X section planted in 1994, other sections of the Natchez Trace Parkway were planted in 1996.
Other Comments:	Vegetative Propagation Method: Commercially blueberries are rooted using either hardwood cuttings or softwood cuttings taken just after the leaves have expanded in the spring (Dirr and Heuser, 1987; Nokes, 1986). It is difficult to take cuttings of Elliott’s blueberry in the spring because the plants flower so early. In Mississippi, the flowers begin to expand in late February and the plants are in full flower by March to April. Semi-hardwood cuttings taken in June did not root in high percentages (estimated about 7 % rooting) and the plants did not overwinter well. Hardwood cuttings taken in February rooted better, but the percentages were still low. Propagator: Janet Grabowski and B.B. Billingsley, Jr.

Citation:

Grabowski, Janet M. 2001. Propagation protocol for vegetative production of Vaccinium elliottii Chapman plants; USDA NRCS - Coffeeville/Jamie L. Whitten Plant Materials Center, Coffeeville, Mississippi. In: Native Plant Network. URL: http://www.nativeplantnetwork.org (accessed 3 September 2010). Moscow (ID): University of Idaho, College of Natural Resources, Forest Research Nursery.