Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Blueberry growers in the Southeast report lower yields compared with other areas of production in the United States.Furthermore, southern highbush blueberries (SHB) (Vaccinium corymbosum L. interspecific hybrids) have a short commercial life ( 10 years), whereas rabbiteye blueberries (Vaccinium virgatum Ait), which are native to the Southeast, produce small berries and have lower yields than SHB.The lowper acre production among blueberry-producing areas of the U.S. are not only due to diversity in genetic material and environmental conditions, but also due to heavy disease pressure in the Southeastern U.S. as well as the different cultural practices followed. One significant difference is that the selective pruning techniques used in blueberry productionsystems in other areas of the United Statesare not utilized in Southeast blueberry production systems.Blueberries in the Southeast are mechanically pruned (hedging) after harvest to reduce bush height;this type of pruning reduces the cost of hand pruning. However, hedging increases the number of shoots per cane, does not allow for the selection of good-bearing wood, and causes heavy crop load, thus causing carbohydrate depletion, which can lead to lower yield per acre and the short life of blueberry stands. In contrast, selective pruning allows for crop load management, creates vigorous laterals, and balances reproductive and vegetative growth, leading to consecutive high yields. The long-term goal of this project is to increase the economic sustainability of blueberry fields in the Southeast by identifying the impacts of selective pruning on the commercial life of blueberry fields, fruit production, and quality of blueberries in the Southeast.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
20%
Applied
80%
Developmental
0%
Goals / Objectives
The major goalof this proposal is to increase the economic sustainability of blueberry production systems in Georgia and Floridaby incorporating selective pruning techniques. To accomplish this goal, our proposed objectives are 1. Determine the impact of selective pruning techniques and pruning timings on the physiological and phenological traits of blueberry plants. 2. Evaluate the impact of selective pruning and different pruning timings onfruit quality, harvest efficiency, and disease control. 3. Quantify the economic return of incorporating selective pruning techniques into blueberry production systems. 4. Develop and disseminate multiple educational materials for blueberry producers and county agents.
Project Methods
Pruning trials will be established in a research farmand commercial fields in Georgia and Florida. Five selected pruning techniques and three pruning times will be evaluated in Georgia. In Florida, only fall pruning will be examined. Research farms trials will allow our team to identify the impacts of selective pruning techniques andpruning timings on many important physiological and phenological traits of the blueberry plant. The same treatments will be tested on commercial farms. The commercial experimental trials will help us evaluate the effects of pruning techniques andthose of pruning time on fruit quality and harvest efficiency. The labor needs required to incorporate selective pruning techniques in blueberry fields will be calculated in both research and commercial farms. In addition, productivity per plant and fruit quality for each treatment will be monitored. Field days and county extension meetings will be organized at the at the end of year 2 and 3 to disseminate the resultsof the research and increase adoption of adequate pruning techniques.