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Explore nutrient monitoring practices for blackberry cultivars, fertilization strategies, and tissue analysis results for optimal growth in North Carolina. Stay updated on the latest cultivar characteristics and production practices.
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Blackberry Tissue AnalysisMonitoring Nutritional Status in New Cultivars David H. Hardy for BRC Plant, Waste and Solution Section NCDA&CS Agronomic Division
Blackberry Acreage in NC • 1999: < 100 acres • 2002: about 150 acres • 2006: SunnyRidge Farm, Inc., indicated desire to expand production by 5-700 A • Blackberry and raspberry • 2009: about 400 acres • Future growth still expected
Blackberry (Rubus) • Perennial root; biennial shoots • Primocane is vegetative; 1st year growth (no flowers or fruit) • Floricane is reproductive; 2nd year growth flowers, fruits then dies and is pruned out • Erect, semi-erect, trailing, semi-trailing
New Cultivars • Erect and semi-erect • Thornless • Different harvest times • Navaho, Ouachita (others include Apache, Chester, Hull, Triple Crown, Arapaho, Chickasaw, Kiowa & Choctaw) Cultivars suited to NC are currently being developed.
Navaho Erect Univ. Arkansas Thornless Mid-late season Med-high yield Great postharvest shelf life (PHSL) Ouachita Erect Univ. Arkansas Thornless High yields Big berries, great flavor Good PHSL Cultivar Characteristics
New Fertilization Practices • Currently, growers are more likely to spoon-feed soluble fertilizer through drip tape in addition to broadcasting or banding fertilizer.
New Fertilizer Recommendations For mature blackberries: 60–80 lb N • Spring: drip a total of 50 lb N • 15 lb N March 1 • 10 lb N March 15, April 1, and April 15 • 5 lb N early May • Post harvest: apply remainder of N • Fall: no nitrogen; lime and non-nitrogenous fertilizers as needed
NCDA&CS Recommendations • Developed primarily for trailing blackberry • Provided micronutrient recommendations
Current Lime & Fertilizer • Lime to pH 6.0 • March:Apply 40 lb N, 40 lb P2O5, 80 lb K20 • July:Apply 60–80 lb N
Current NCDA&CS Sufficiency Ranges for Blackberry(for trailing blackberry, primocane, mid season)
Sufficiency Ranges from ClarkNABGA (1997) • Developed for newer cultivars • Collected from the primocane in August (or 2 weeks post harvest) • 30–60 most recently mature leaves
2006 • July, Bramble Production Workshop with SunnyRidge Farm, Inc. • November, Bramble Discussion with Gina Fernandez, David Hardy and Brenda Cleveland • Update recommendations for new cultivars and production practices
How Should We Start? • Develop a baseline of plant sufficiency ranges • Focus on primocane, post harvest • Stabilized, stored N (Bernadine & Strik, 2008) • Follow with fertilization tests
Plant Tissue Analysis—2007 & 2008 • Canes (2) • Growth stage (4) • Cultivars (2) • Locations (from eastern to western NC) • Most recently mature leaves (MRML) • 2007 Easter Freeze
Cane • Primocane is vegetative; 1st year growth (no flowers or fruits) • Floricane is reproductive; 2nd year growth flowers, fruits then dies and is pruned out
by peterb CSIRO Australia
Growth Stages • Early (E): pre bloom • Bloom (B): full bloom • Fruit (F): ripe or harvesting fruit • Mature (M): 2 weeks post harvest
Sample Type • Predictive – monitor nutritional status • Diagnostic – verify if problems are related to poor nutritional status
LocationsCoastal Plain, east & west Piedmont & Mountain • Cleveland: 2 Commercial Growers • Granville: Oxford Tobacco Research Station • Henderson: 1 Commercial Grower • Lincoln: 4 Commercial Growers • Nash: 1 Commercial Grower • Rowan: Piedmont Research Station
Cooperating Growers • Soil pH ranged from 6-6.5 • Good fertilization practices • Tissue samples collected from healthy canes that were not stressed
Tissue Sample Results Average macronutrients concentrations (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S)
2008 Average Nitrogen N>2.4-2.9% Clark 1997
2008 Average Phosphorus P>0.15% Clark 1997
2008 Average Potassium K>1.0-2.0% Clark 1997
2008 Average Calcium Ca>0.5% Clark 1997
2008 Average Magnesium Mg>0.3% Clark 1997
2008 Average Sulfur S>0.13% Clark 1997
Range (min/max) of Nutrient Concentrations in the Post Harvest Primocane Samples
Average Nutrient Concentrations in the Post Harvest Primocane Samples
In the Future • Fertilization research • Develop soil fertility recommendations to optimize yield of new cultivars • Develop new plant tissue sufficiency ranges • continue baseline study (2009) • cultivars differences • which canes/growth stages predict fertilizer needs • fine-tune nutrient management