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ARS Home » Northeast Area » University Park, Pennsylvania » Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #328409
Title: Causes and effects of poor drainage in cranberry farms

Author
item Kennedy, Casey
item JERANYAMA, PETER - University Of Massachusetts
item DEMORANVILLE, CAROLYN - University Of Massachusetts

Submitted to: Acta Horticulturae
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/12/2016
Publication Date: 11/1/2017
Citation: Kennedy, C.D., Jeranyama, P., Demoranville, C. 2017. Causes and effects of poor drainage in cranberry. Acta Horticulturae. 445-452. doi: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2017.1180.62.

Interpretive Summary: Inadequate drainage is a pervasive problem affecting cranberry production in Massachusetts. Scientists at University of Massachusetts and ARS evaluated the effects of poor drainage on fruit quality and crop yield in cranberry farms. Rapid, controlled drainage reduced cranberry fruit rot from 24% to 4% and increased crop yield from 17.7 to 40.6 Mg ha-1.

Technical Abstract: Soils that support the growth of cranberries often cap geologic deposits of organic sediment, such as peat. However, low-permeability organic sediments may result in inadequate drainage that diminishes plant productivity and enhances fruit rot. Consequently, new constructions of cranberry farms are emerging on mineral soils that are generally well drained. In this study, we combined a replicated field trial and a field demonstration to evaluate the causes of poor drainage and their effects on crop production in cranberry farms. Measurements of soil water tension (SWT), fruit yield and rot, and ground penetrating radar were conducted on two fields: site PF1, where tile drains were installed at depths of 20 and 30, and site PF7, an upgradient field, where tile drains were a depth of 30 cm. Values of SWT were uniformly -1.1 kPa in site PF1, not varying with tile drain depth. Also in site PF1, values of crop yield (15.1-17.7 Mg ha-1) and fruit rot (13-24%) were not a function of tile drain depth. By comparison, crop yield was twice as high in PF7 (40.6 Mg ha-1) and was related to lower values of SWT (-3.2 kPa). Increased crop yield could be related to physiological effects (i.e., enhanced root-zone oxygen) or to decreased fruit rot (~4%) associated with enhanced drainage in site PF7. The lower values of SWT were not related to differences in subsurface geology, as mineral deposits of silt (not organic sediments) underlay most of the farm. Instead, a strong elevation gradient, caused by a 3-m difference in surface elevation between sites PF1 and PF7, probably facilitated subsurface drainage at site PF7. These results illustrate the significance of landscape features on the relationship between subsurface drainage and crop production in cranberry farms.