Abstract
Calcareous soils are not suitable for blueberry cultivation. Our aim was to improve the performance of blueberry plants in calcareous soils by using pits filled with growth media in combination with high levels of RNH4+ (proportion of N-NH4+ among the total applied N). Rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium virgatum Ait. cv. Ochlockonee) plants were grown in pits filled with a tuff/peat mixture (TP), a sandy soil (S) or a calcareous (CC), in full factorial combination with three levels of RNH4+: 33%, 66% or 100%. The two higher RNH4+ treatments decreased the pH of the low-CaCO3 (S) and no-CaCO3 (TP) media to ≤6.0 over 250 days of fertilization, but did not affect the pH of the CC soil over 650 days. Plant performance was superior in the TP and S media, as compared to the CC soil. The type of growth medium was the dominant factor accounting for the improved plant performance. The plants were sensitive to Mn deficiency in leaves during the spring period. The current results suggest that growing blueberry in pits filled with good aeration and low pH buffering capacity medium in combination with a high level of RNH4+ is a positive approach for its cultivation in calcareous soils.
Highlights
World blueberry production has increased by about 56% over the last decade (2010– 2019; [1]), due to the dramatic increase in demand for this healthy fruit
In all of the RNH4+ treatments, the pH levels in S and Tuff/Peat mixture (TP) were significantly lower than those observed in Calcareous clayey soil (CC), after approximately Day 250 from the start of fertigation
The minimum rates of increase in plant height in S and TP were higher than the maximum rate in CC (Table 5). The results of these analyses indicate that the type of growth medium in the pits was the dominant factor affecting plant performance, in terms of chlorophyll concentration, cane diameter and plant height; whereas the RNH4+ treatments had only a minor effect
Summary
World blueberry production has increased by about 56% over the last decade (2010– 2019; [1]), due to the dramatic increase in demand for this healthy fruit This expansion in production has led to greater interest in cultivating blueberries in regions with non-optimal soil conditions. Optimal soil conditions for blueberry cultivation are low pH (
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