Proposal of descriptors to study the variability of Vaccinium meridionale Swartz

Agraz, mortiño, or Andean blueberry (Vaccinium meridionale Swartz) is a fruit tree with high potential for national consumption since it is considered a functional food due to its high content of anthocyanins and antioxidants. The morphological description in plants involves both characterization variables that are highly heritable and easily detectable, as well as evaluation variables influenced by the environment and useful for genetic breeding that, together, are called descriptors and allow knowing the variability of the species. The aim of this study was to develop a list of morphological descriptors with the inclusion of variables to characterize and evaluate Vaccinium meridionale Swartz. Observations were made in natural populations of 11 municipalities in Antioquia, three in Boyacá, one in Cundinamarca, two in Nariño, and one in Santander, Colombia, as well as in the ex situ collection established in Rionegro Antioquia, between 2005 to 2011. A descriptor with 38 quantitative, binary, and multi-state variables was developed. Seven of these variables were obtained at the plant level, 10 from the leaf, six from the flower, 14 from the fruit, and one from the seed. The application of the morphological descriptors in in situ and ex situ conditions reported high polymorphism in the qualitative traits and high variation between individuals for the quantitative variables in the collections under study. These variables are of taxonomic and agronomic importance in the knowledge of the species and are essential for producing and marketing the fruit.