2 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
Effect of planting method, weed management, and fertilizer on plant growth and yield of newly established organic highbush blueberries
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 kgĀ·haā»Ā¹ 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 NĀ·haā»Ā¹ 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 NĀ·haā»Ā¹ 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 NĀ·haā»Ā¹ of fish emulsion. In 'Liberty', the greatest root DW was in plants with compost plus sawdust mulch and fertilized with 29 kg of NĀ·haā»Ā¹ of fish emulsion, while leaf area was greatest in plants grown on raised beds with sawdust mulch and fertilized with 57 kg of NĀ·haā»Ā¹ of fish emulsion. In 2008, yield was highest when 29 kgĀ·haā»Ā¹ N of fish was applied and when plants were grown on raised beds with weed mat in 'Duke' (0.56 kgĀ·plantā»Ā¹), and with compost plus sawdust in 'Liberty' (0.57 kgĀ·plantā»Ā¹). 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
Recommended from our members
Costs of Establishing Organic Northern Highbush Blueberry: Impacts of Planting Method, Fertilization, and Mulch Type
A systems trial was established to evaluate factorial management practices for organic production of northern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.). The practices included: flat and raised planting beds; feather meal and fish emulsion fertilizer applied at 29 and 57 kgĀ·haā»Ā¹of nitrogen (N); sawdust mulch, compost topped with sawdust mulch (compost + sawdust), or weed mat; and two cultivars, Duke and Liberty. The planting was established in Oct. 2006 and was certified organic in 2008. Weeds were managed by hand-hoeing or pulling in sawdust and weed mat-mulched plots and a combination of hand-pulling, propane-flaming, and post-emergent, targeted applications of acetic acid or lemon grass oil to any weeds present in the compost + sawdust plots depending on year. Data were recorded on input costs and returns in Year 0 (establishment year) through Year 3. Plants were harvested beginning the second year after planting. Planting costs were 2861/ha. Cumulative net returns after 3 years were negative and ranged from ā50,352/ha when grown on raised beds and from ā52,848/ha when grown on flat beds, depending on cultivar, mulch, and fertilizer rate and source. The greatest yields were obtained in plants fertilized with the low rate of fish emulsion or the high rate of feather meal, but fertilizing with fish emulsion by hand cost (materials and labor) as much as 19,333/ha over 3 years.This is a scanned version of a published article. The original can be found at: http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/Keywords: Fish emulsion, Sawdust, Feather meal, Compost, Economics, Weed mat, Vaccinium corymbosum, Cost of production, Landscape fabri