Abstract |
- A 0.4 ha planting of blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) was established in Oct.
2006 to evaluate the effects of cultivar (Duke and Liberty), planting method (flat
versus raised beds), weed management (sawdust mulch and hand-weed control;
compost plus sawdust mulch with acetic acid, flaming, and hand-weeding used as
needed; and weed mat plus hand-weeding as needed), and type and rate of fertilizer
(feather meal and liquid fish emulsion at 29 and 57 kg·ha⁻¹ N) on plant growth,
yield, fruit quality, irrigation requirements, and weed presence. The site was
certified organic in 2008. Plants grown on raised beds were larger than on flat
ground. The leaf nitrogen concentration (%N) in all treatments ranged from
slightly below normal to slightly above normal in Aug. 2007 and Aug. 2008,
depending on fertilizer treatment and mulch. Plants receiving 57 kg of N·ha⁻¹ as
fish emulsion had the highest leaf %N in both years, especially when grown with
weed mat mulch, while plants fertilized with the low rate of feather meal had lower
than recommended %N, especially in sawdust mulched plots. In Oct. 2007, total
plant dry weight (DW) was higher in 'Liberty' than 'Duke', raised beds than flat
ground, and when fertilized with fish emulsion rather than feather meal, but was
not affected by weed management system. Root DW was greatest in 'Duke' and
lowest in plants receiving 57 kg of N·ha⁻¹ as fish emulsion when grown with weed
mat. In Oct. 2008, treatment effects on total plant DW were similar to what was
observed in 2007. Root DW in 'Duke' was not affected by planting on raised
beds, but was greater in plants grown with the organic mulches and fertilized with
29 kg of N·ha⁻¹ of fish emulsion. In 'Liberty', the greatest root DW was in plants
with compost plus sawdust mulch and fertilized with 29 kg of N·ha⁻¹ of fish
emulsion, while leaf area was greatest in plants grown on raised beds with sawdust
mulch and fertilized with 57 kg of N·ha⁻¹ of fish emulsion. In 2008, yield was
highest when 29 kg·ha⁻¹ N of fish was applied and when plants were grown on
raised beds with weed mat in 'Duke' (0.56 kg·plant⁻¹), and with compost plus
sawdust in 'Liberty' (0.57 kg·plant⁻¹). Fruit were firmer at harvest when plants
were fertilized with fish rather than feather meal and when soil was mulched with
sawdust compared to weed mat. Weed presence increased from 2007 to 2008.
Hand-weeding was required in all treatments in both years. Weed mat plots had
the fewest weeds, whereas compost plus sawdust mulched plots had the highest
weed coverage. In weed mat plots, the only weeds that emerged were in the area
of the planting hole. In the compost plus sawdust mulched treatment, acetic acid
applied at a 20% concentration on hot days, provided acceptable control of annual
weeds, but was moderately effective on perennial weeds. Flaming was somewhat
effective when used on small weeds on hot days. Soil water content was lower
through the growing season on raised beds than on flat ground, especially under
weed mat; this system thus required 148% more irrigation water than did plots
mulched with sawdust, and compost plus sawdust to maintain an adequate percent
soil water content for blueberry plant growth. Soil temperature at 5 cm depth was
higher under weed mat and more variable through the year than in the organic
mulched treatments. The extra irrigation water required in weed mat mulched
treatments may have been associated with increased soil temperatures and soil
water evaporation, and greater plant evapotranspiration. The organic production
systems studied produced typical plant growth and yield, as compared to
conventional production systems.
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