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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » Horticultural Crops Production and Genetic Improvement Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #413258
Research Project: Water and Nutrient Management for Sustainable Production of Small Fruit and Nursery Crops

Location: Horticultural Crops Production and Genetic Improvement Research Unit

Title: A review of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium nutrition in red raspberry and blackberry

Author
item STRIK, BERNADINE - Oregon State University
item Bryla, David
item DAVIS, AMANDA - Oregon State University

Submitted to: Acta Horticulturae
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/10/2024
Publication Date: 4/12/2024
Citation: Strik, B.C., Bryla, D.R., Davis, A. 2024. A review of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium nutrition in red raspberry and blackberry. Acta Horticulturae. 1388: 323-329. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2024.1388.47.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2024.1388.47

Interpretive Summary: Fertilization decisions in caneberry fields are often reliant on tissue analysis of leaves collected in mid- to late summer. In collaboration with researchers from Oregon State University, an ARS scientist in Corvallis, Oregon, developed updated standards for interpreting leaf tissue tests, based on years of field research on accumulation, partitioning, and loss of mineral nutrients in raspberry and blackberry. Results of leaf tissue tests help indicate when and what type of annual fertilization is needed to replace nutrients lost with fruit harvest, pruning, and leaf fall. Fertigation or split applications of fertilizers is recommended, as caneberry plants require nitrogen and other nutrients in both early spring for growth of the floricanes (fruiting laterals and fruit) and in late spring and early summer for growth of the primocanes (new, non-fruiting canes). Nutrients are also remobilized from senescing floricanes, offering an advantage when pruning is delayed.

Technical Abstract: Relative to most fruit crops, raspberry and blackberry (Rubus sp.) plants have relatively low requirements for N and other macronutrients. Depending on the cultivar and production system, field-grown plants in Oregon, USA accumulated 70–123 kg/ha N, 7–9 kg/ha P, 49–59 kg/ha K, 33–48 kg/ha Ca, and 11–14 kg/ha Mg per year in raspberry and 44–93 kg/ha N, 6–12 kg/ha P, 47–91 kg/ha K, 43–65 kg/ha Ca, and 8–13 kg/ha Mg per year in blackberry. Fertilizer requirements in these crops can be estimated from annual losses in fruit, senesced leaves, and pruned floricanes, although nutrient in leaves and floricanes may be returned to the field through nutrient cycling. Tissue analyses indicated that nutrient losses in fruit varied with yield and ranged from 14–19 kg/ha N, 2–4 kg/ha P, 12–20 kg/ha K, 1–5 kg/ha Ca, and 1–2 kg/ha Mg. Losses of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg in the leaves and pruned floricanes averaged 30, 2, 15, 23, and 6 kg/ha, respectively, in ‘Meeker’ raspberry and 35, 5, 41, 34, and 7 kg/ha, respectively, in ‘Black Diamond’ and ‘Marion’ blackberry. Application of 15N-depleted fertilizer revealed that N applied at budbreak in raspberry was partitioned to primocanes, fruiting laterals, and fruit, whereas N applied 2 months later was partitioned predominately to primocanes. The results also indicated that primocanes relied primarily on fertilizer N for growth, while floricanes relied on N stored in overwintering primocanes, crown, and roots (approximately 30–40% of stored N was allocated to new growth). Delaying pruning of senescing floricanes increased N remobilized to these storage tissues. Leaf nutrient sufficiency standards were updated based on our research and can be used for nutrient management of raspberry and blackberry in conventional and organic production systems.