Abstract
Drought and mandatory water restrictions are limiting the availability of irrigation water in many important blueberry growing regions, such as Oregon, Washington, and California. New strategies are needed to maintain yield and fruit quality with less water. To address the issue, three potential options for reducing water use, including deficit irrigation, irrigation cutoffs, and crop thinning, were evaluated for 2 years in a mature planting of northern highbush blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum L. ‘Elliott’). Treatments consisted of no thinning and 50% crop removal in combination with either full irrigation at 100% of estimated crop evapotranspiration (ET c ), deficit irrigation at 50% ET c (applied for the entire growing season), or full irrigation with irrigation cutoff for 4–6 weeks during early (early- to late-green fruit) or late (fruit coloring to harvest) stages of fruit development. Stem water potential was similar with full and deficit irrigation but, regardless of crop thinning, declined by 0.5–0.6 MPa when irrigation was cutoff early and by >2.0 MPa when irrigation was cutoff late. In one or both years, the fruiting season was advanced with either deficit irrigation or late cutoff, whereas cutting off irrigation early delayed the season. Yield was unaffected by deficit irrigation in plants with a full crop load but was reduced by an average of 35% when irrigation was cutoff late each year. Cutting off irrigation early likewise reduced yield, but only in the 2nd year when the plants were not thinned; however, early cutoff also reduced fruit soluble solids and berry weight by 7% to 24% compared with full irrigation. Cutting off irrigation late produced the smallest and firmest fruit with the highest soluble solids and total acidity among the treatments, as well as the slowest rate of fruit loss in cold storage. Deficit irrigation had the least effect on fruit quality and, based on these results, appears to be the most viable option for maintaining yield with less water in northern highbush blueberry. Relative to full irrigation, the practice reduced water use by 2.5 ML·ha −1 per season.
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Claims 18
Claim · model-written summary
Stem water potential was similar under full and deficit irrigation.
- Taxon
- Northern Highbush Blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosumt0 - Treatment
- deficit irrigatione0
- Outcome
- Stem water potentiale0
- Direction
- similare0
- Comparator
- fulle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Stem water potential was similar with full and deficit irrigation”
t0“Northern Highbush Blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Early irrigation cutoff lowered stem water potential by 0.5–0.6 MPa.
- Taxon
- Northern Highbush BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumt0
- Treatment
- irrigation was cutoff earlye0
- Outcome
- Stem water potentiale1
- Direction
- declinede0
- Value
- 0.5–0.6 MPae0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“declined by 0.5–0.6 MPa when irrigation was cutoff early”
t0“Northern Highbush Blueberry”
e1“Stem water potential was similar with full and deficit irrigation”
Claim · model-written summary
Late irrigation cutoff lowered stem water potential by more than 2.0 MPa.
- Taxon
- Northern Highbush BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumt0
- Treatment
- irrigation was cutoff latee0
- Outcome
- Stem water potentiale1
- Direction
- declinede0
- Value
- >2.0 MPae0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“declined by 0.5–0.6 MPa when irrigation was cutoff early and by >2.0 MPa when irrigation was cutoff late”
t0“Northern Highbush Blueberry”
e1“Stem water potential was similar with full and deficit irrigation”
Claim · model-written summary
Deficit irrigation advanced the fruiting season in one or both years.
- Taxon
- Northern Highbush BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumt0
- Treatment
- deficit irrigatione0
- Outcome
- fruiting seasone0
- Direction
- advancede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the fruiting season was advanced with either deficit irrigation or late cutoff”
t0“Northern Highbush Blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Late irrigation cutoff advanced the fruiting season in one or both years.
- Taxon
- Northern Highbush BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumt0
- Treatment
- late cutoffe0
- Outcome
- fruiting seasone0
- Direction
- advancede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the fruiting season was advanced with either deficit irrigation or late cutoff”
t0“Northern Highbush Blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Early irrigation cutoff delayed the fruiting season.
- Taxon
- Northern Highbush BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumt0
- Treatment
- cutting off irrigation earlye0
- Outcome
- the seasone0
- Direction
- delayede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“cutting off irrigation early delayed the season”
t0“Northern Highbush Blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Deficit irrigation left yield unaffected at full crop load.
- Taxon
- Northern Highbush BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumt0
- Treatment
- deficit irrigatione0
- Outcome
- Yielde0
- Direction
- unaffectede0
- Qualifier
- full crop loade0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Yield was unaffected by deficit irrigation in plants with a full crop load”
t0“Northern Highbush Blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Late irrigation cutoff reduced yield by an average of 35% each year.
- Taxon
- Northern Highbush BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumt0
- Treatment
- irrigation was cutoff latee0
- Outcome
- Yielde1
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 35%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“was reduced by an average of 35% when irrigation was cutoff late each year”
t0“Northern Highbush Blueberry”
e1“Yield was unaffected by deficit irrigation in plants with a full crop load”
Claim · model-written summary
Early irrigation cutoff reduced yield in the second year without thinning.
- Taxon
- Northern Highbush BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumt0
- Treatment
- Cutting off irrigation earlye0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Qualifier
- only in the 2nd year when the plants were not thinnede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cutting off irrigation early likewise reduced yield, but only in the 2nd year when the plants were not thinned”
t0“Northern Highbush Blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Early cutoff reduced fruit soluble solids by 7% to 24% relative to full irrigation.
- Taxon
- Northern Highbush BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumt0
- Treatment
- early cutoffe0
- Outcome
- fruit soluble solidse0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 7% to 24%e0
- Comparator
- full irrigatione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“early cutoff also reduced fruit soluble solids and berry weight by 7% to 24% compared with full irrigation”
t0“Northern Highbush Blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Early cutoff reduced berry weight by 7% to 24% relative to full irrigation.
- Taxon
- Northern Highbush BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumt0
- Treatment
- early cutoffe0
- Outcome
- berry weighte0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 7% to 24%e0
- Comparator
- full irrigatione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“early cutoff also reduced fruit soluble solids and berry weight by 7% to 24% compared with full irrigation”
t0“Northern Highbush Blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Late irrigation cutoff produced the smallest fruit.
- Taxon
- Northern Highbush BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumt0
- Treatment
- Cutting off irrigation latee0
- Outcome
- fruite0
- Direction
- smalleste0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cutting off irrigation late produced the smallest and firmest fruit”
t0“Northern Highbush Blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Late irrigation cutoff produced the firmest fruit.
- Taxon
- Northern Highbush BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumt0
- Treatment
- Cutting off irrigation latee0
- Outcome
- fruite0
- Direction
- firmeste0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cutting off irrigation late produced the smallest and firmest fruit”
t0“Northern Highbush Blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Late cutoff produced the highest fruit soluble solids and total acidity.
- Taxon
- Northern Highbush BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumt0
- Treatment
- Cutting off irrigation latee1
- Outcome
- soluble solids and total aciditye0
- Direction
- higheste0
- Comparator
- the treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“with the highest soluble solids and total acidity among the treatments”
t0“Northern Highbush Blueberry”
e1“Cutting off irrigation late produced the smallest and firmest fruit”
Claim · model-written summary
Late cutoff gave the slowest rate of fruit loss in cold storage.
- Taxon
- Northern Highbush BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumt0
- Treatment
- Cutting off irrigation latee1
- Outcome
- rate of fruit loss in cold storagee0
- Direction
- sloweste0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the slowest rate of fruit loss in cold storage”
t0“Northern Highbush Blueberry”
e1“Cutting off irrigation late produced the smallest and firmest fruit”
Claim · model-written summary
Deficit irrigation had the least effect on fruit quality.
- Taxon
- Northern Highbush BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumt0
- Treatment
- Deficit irrigatione0
- Outcome
- fruit qualitye0
- Direction
- leaste0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Deficit irrigation had the least effect on fruit quality”
t0“Northern Highbush Blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Deficit irrigation reduced water use by 2.5 ML·ha −1 per season compared with full irrigation.
- Taxon
- Northern Highbush BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumt0
- Treatment
- the practicee0
- Outcome
- water usee0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 2.5 ML·ha −1 per seasone0
- Comparator
- full irrigatione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Relative to full irrigation, the practice reduced water use by 2.5 ML·ha −1 per season”
t0“Northern Highbush Blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors favor deficit irrigation to maintain yield with less water.
- Taxon
- Northern Highbush BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumt0
- Outcome
- most viable option for maintaining yield with less watere0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“appears to be the most viable option for maintaining yield with less water in northern highbush blueberry”
t0“Northern Highbush Blueberry”
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See all 11 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.