Influence of soil type on half-highbush blueberry productivity

Authors

• Tea Tasa Estonian University of Life Sciences
• Marge Starast Estonian University of Life Sciences
• Ele Vool Estonian University of Life Sciences
• Ulvi Moor Estonian University of Life Sciences
• Kadri Karp Estonian University of Life Sciences

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23986/afsci.6105

Keywords:

Vaccinium, soil, peat, growth, yield, cultivar

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to determine the influence of mineral and peat soil condition on the growth, yield and nutrient uptake of some half-highbush blueberry cultivars. The peat soil experimental site was located in a harvested (milled) peat field. Four half-highbush blueberry (

Vaccinium spp.) cultivars (five- and six-year-old plants) were used in the experiment: ‘Aino’, ‘Alvar’, ‘Arne’, and ‘Northblue’. Environmental conditions exercised a considerable influence on biological processes of half-highbush blueberry, at the same time, a genotype-based variation was observed. Cultivar ‘Northblue’ had a higher yield in mineral soil and ‘Aino’ had the highest yield in peat soil considering the average of two years. The peat soil condition in the harvested peat field provided a better supply of nutrients for blueberry bushes compared to mineral soil and this, in its turn, secured better growth and a higher yield of blueberry bushes.