Location: Horticultural Crops Production and Genetic Improvement Research Unit
Project Number: 2072-21000-055-049-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2024
End Date: Oct 31, 2025
Objective:
1. Evaluate different fertilizer methods for increasing fruit calcium (Ca) and assess their effect on yield and fruit quality of blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry.
Approach:
On-farm trials will be established in commercial raspberry and blueberry fields in Lynden and Prosser, Washington and in commercial blueberry and blackberry fields in Salem, Oregon. One or two cultivars will be used for each crop, including ‘Duke’ and ‘Draper’ or ‘Aurora’ for blueberry, ‘WakeField’ or ‘Meeker’ for raspberry, and ‘Black Diamond’ or ‘Columbia Star’ for blackberry. Data will be collected weekly from each treatment plot using soil moisture samplers and analyzed for availability of Ca and other nutrients. Soil, fruit, and leaf analysis will be used to identify any relationships between soil conditions and yield, fruit quality, and fruit and leaf nutrients.
