Abstract
A 2-year study was done to compare the effects of nitrogen (N) fertigation and granular fertilizer application on growth and availability of soil N during establishment of highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L. "Bluecrop"). Treatments included four methods of N application (weekly fertigation, split fertigation, and two non-fertigated controls) and four levels of N fertilizer (0, 50, 100, and 150 kg·ha(-1) N). Fertigation treatments were irrigated by drip and injected with a liquid urea solution; weekly fertigation was applied once a week from leaf emergence to 60 d prior to the end of the season while split fertigation was applied as a triple-split from April to June. Non-fertigated controls were fertilized with granular ammonium sulfate, also applied as a triple-split, and irrigated by drip or microsprinklers. Weekly fertigation produced the smallest plants among the four fertilizer application methods at 50 kg·ha(-1) N during the first year after planting but the largest plants at 150 kg·ha(-1) N in both the first and second year. The other application methods required less N to maximize growth but were less responsive than weekly fertigation to additional N fertilizer applications. In fact, 44-50% of the plants died when granular fertilizer was applied at 150 kg·ha(-1) N. By comparison, none of the plants died with weekly fertigation. Plant death with granular fertilizer was associated with high ammonium ion concentrations (up to 650 mg·L(-1)) and electrical conductivity (>3 dS·m(-1)) in the soil solution. Early results indicate that fertigation may be less efficient (i.e., less plant growth per unit of N applied) at lower N rates than granular fertilizer application but is also safer (i.e., less plant death) and promotes more growth when high amounts of N fertilizer is applied.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Weekly fertigation produced the smallest plants among four fertilizer application methods at 50 kg·ha(-1) N in the first year after planting in highbush blueberry.
- Taxon
- highbush blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosume1 - Treatment
- Weekly fertigatione2
- Outcome
- smallest plantse2
- Direction
- smalleste2
- Qualifier
- 50 kg·ha(-1) N during the first year after plantinge2
- Comparator
- four fertilizer application methodse2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“highbush blueberry”
e2“Weekly fertigation produced the smallest plants among the four fertilizer application methods at 50 kg·ha(-1) N during the first year after planting but the largest plants at 150 kg·ha(-1) N in both the first and second year”
Claim · model-written summary
Weekly fertigation produced the largest plants at 150 kg·ha(-1) N in both years in highbush blueberry.
- Taxon
- highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume1
- Treatment
- Weekly fertigatione2
- Outcome
- largest plantse2
- Direction
- largeste2
- Qualifier
- 150 kg·ha(-1) N in both the first and second yeare2
- Comparator
- four fertilizer application methodse2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“highbush blueberry”
e2“Weekly fertigation produced the smallest plants among the four fertilizer application methods at 50 kg·ha(-1) N during the first year after planting but the largest plants at 150 kg·ha(-1) N in both the first and second year”
Claim · model-written summary
Other application methods required less N than weekly fertigation to maximize highbush blueberry growth.
- Taxon
- highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume1
- Treatment
- other application methodse3
- Outcome
- required less N to maximize growthe3
- Direction
- lesse3
- Comparator
- weekly fertigatione3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“highbush blueberry”
e3“The other application methods required less N to maximize growth but were less responsive than weekly fertigation to additional N fertilizer applications”
Claim · model-written summary
Other application methods were less responsive than weekly fertigation to additional N fertilizer applications in highbush blueberry.
- Taxon
- highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume1
- Treatment
- other application methodse3
- Outcome
- less responsivee3
- Direction
- lesse3
- Comparator
- weekly fertigatione3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“highbush blueberry”
e3“The other application methods required less N to maximize growth but were less responsive than weekly fertigation to additional N fertilizer applications”
Claim · model-written summary
44-50% of highbush blueberry plants died when granular fertilizer was applied at 150 kg·ha(-1) N.
- Taxon
- highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume1
- Treatment
- granular fertilizere4
- Outcome
- plants diede4
- Direction
- diede4
- Value
- 44-50%e4
- Qualifier
- 150 kg·ha(-1) Ne4
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“highbush blueberry”
e4“In fact, 44-50% of the plants died when granular fertilizer was applied at 150 kg·ha(-1) N”
Claim · model-written summary
No highbush blueberry plants died with weekly fertigation, a lower plant death than with granular fertilizer.
- Taxon
- highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume1
- Treatment
- weekly fertigatione5
- Outcome
- plants diede5
- Direction
- decreaseinferrede5
- Comparator
- granular fertilizere4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“highbush blueberry”
e4“In fact, 44-50% of the plants died when granular fertilizer was applied at 150 kg·ha(-1) N”
e5“By comparison, none of the plants died with weekly fertigation”
Claim · model-written summary
Highbush blueberry death with granular fertilizer was associated with high ammonium ion concentrations (up to 650 mg·L(-1)) in the soil solution.
- Taxon
- highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume1
- Treatment
- granular fertilizere6
- Compound
- ammonium ione6
- Outcome
- Plant deathe6
- Direction
- increaseinferrede6
- Value
- up to 650 mg·L(-1)e6
- Qualifier
- in the soil solutione6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“highbush blueberry”
e6“Plant death with granular fertilizer was associated with high ammonium ion concentrations (up to 650 mg·L(-1)) and electrical conductivity (>3 dS·m(-1)) in the soil solution”
Claim · model-written summary
Highbush blueberry death with granular fertilizer was associated with electrical conductivity above 3 dS·m(-1) in the soil solution.
- Taxon
- highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume1
- Treatment
- granular fertilizere6
- Outcome
- Plant deathe6
- Direction
- increaseinferrede6
- Value
- >3 dS·m(-1)e6
- Qualifier
- electrical conductivitye6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“highbush blueberry”
e6“Plant death with granular fertilizer was associated with high ammonium ion concentrations (up to 650 mg·L(-1)) and electrical conductivity (>3 dS·m(-1)) in the soil solution”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertigation may be less efficient than granular fertilizer application at lower N rates, with less plant growth per unit of N applied.
- Taxon
- highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume1
- Treatment
- fertigatione7
- Outcome
- plant growth per unit of N appliede7
- Direction
- lesse7
- Qualifier
- at lower N ratese7
- Comparator
- granular fertilizer applicatione7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“highbush blueberry”
e7“Early results indicate that fertigation may be less efficient (i.e., less plant growth per unit of N applied) at lower N rates than granular fertilizer application but is also safer (i.e., less plant death) and promotes more growth when high amounts of N fertilizer is applied”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertigation is also safer than granular fertilizer application, with less plant death in highbush blueberry.
- Taxon
- highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume1
- Treatment
- fertigatione7
- Outcome
- plant deathe7
- Direction
- lesse7
- Comparator
- granular fertilizer applicatione7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“highbush blueberry”
e7“Early results indicate that fertigation may be less efficient (i.e., less plant growth per unit of N applied) at lower N rates than granular fertilizer application but is also safer (i.e., less plant death) and promotes more growth when high amounts of N fertilizer is applied”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertigation promotes more highbush blueberry growth when high amounts of N fertilizer are applied.
- Taxon
- highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume1
- Treatment
- fertigatione7
- Outcome
- growthe7
- Direction
- moree7
- Qualifier
- when high amounts of N fertilizer is appliede7
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“highbush blueberry”
e7“Early results indicate that fertigation may be less efficient (i.e., less plant growth per unit of N applied) at lower N rates than granular fertilizer application but is also safer (i.e., less plant death) and promotes more growth when high amounts of N fertilizer is applied”
The same questions in other papers
fertilization · growth · Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry)Positive and negative results
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See all 16 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.