Abstract
Haskap (Lonicera caerulea L.) is a new northern latitude fruit crop that is increasing in popularity. This sudden enthusiasm for haskap increases the need for obtaining baseline knowledge related to establishing it as a crop, such as its optimal soil pH and fertilizer needs. In a greenhouse, one-year-old haskap plants (cultivar: Indigo Treat©) were grown in a local loamy sand. We assessed the impact of pH and fertilizer on haskap vegetative growth through an experiment involving four soil pH and five fertilization treatments of three N sources (ammonium, nitrate, and organic (chicken manure)). Leaf senescence as well as above-ground and root biomass were recorded after 19 weeks of vegetative growth. For cultivar Indigo Treat©, optimal vegetative growth was observed under slightly acidic soil conditions (pHCaCl2 5.5–6 or pHwater 5.9–6.5) without application of N. Phosphorus and K fertilizers did not influence vegetative growth. We here discuss the implications for establishing haskap orchards.
Highlights
Haskap is a new fruit-producing crop that is growing in popularity in northern regions of America and Europe
(~350 ha) growing throughout the province of Quebec and half of these plants are located in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of the province [7]. This sudden and significant enthusiasm for haskap demands the development of baseline knowledge in regard to suitable soil conditions for its cultivation, as presently very little information has been published for this crop [8]
Optimal vegetative growth for haskap under greenhouse conditions occurred in slightly acidic soil conditions; haskap had maximum growth in the pH range of most cropped species [18,22]
Summary
According to Quebec’s haskap association (Canada), there are about 730,000 individual haskap plants (~350 ha) growing throughout the province of Quebec and half of these plants are located in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of the province [7]. This sudden and significant enthusiasm for haskap demands the development of baseline knowledge in regard to suitable soil conditions for its cultivation, as presently very little information has been published for this crop [8]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
