Abstract
Northern highbush blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum L.) often requires frequent irrigation for commercial production, but irrigation is becoming increasingly challenging for many growers because of warmer and drier weather conditions, increased water regulations, and other water-use limitations. The purpose of this study was to develop improved methods of irrigation to prepare the industry more effectively against future water uncertainties. Treatments were applied for 2 years (2021 and 2022) and included a combination of weather-based or fixed irrigation schedules using continuous or pulse irrigation in a commercial field of ‘Draper’ blueberry in eastern Washington, USA. The soil at the site was a silt loam, and irrigation was applied using two laterals of drip tubing per row. Plants on a fixed schedule were irrigated for 12 to 13 hours per application (set by the grower), whereas those on a weather-based schedule were irrigated according to daily estimates of crop evapotranspiration (downloaded from an automated weather station). In both cases, irrigation was applied every 2 to 4 days as a single, continuous application or in 30- to 50-minute pulses every 2 hours (up to nine times per day) with the same amount of water as the continuous treatment. During the first year of the study, weather-based scheduling maintained greater stem water potentials in the plants and, on average, increased yield by 3.4 t⋅ha –1 , berry weight by 0.14 g/berry, berry diameter by 0.4 mm, and fruit bud set by 4.3% when compared with fixed scheduling. Likewise, pulse irrigation maintained greater stem water potentials and, on average, increased berry weight and diameter by 0.10 g and 0.4 mm, respectively, fruit bud set by 3.3%, and canopy cover by 2.4% relative to continuous irrigation. Yield and canopy cover were unaffected by any treatment in the second year, which was likely a result of uncharacteristically cool, wet weather in the spring. However, weather-based scheduling continued to maintain greater stem water potentials and, when combined with pulse irrigation, increased berry weight and diameter by 3.7 g and 1.0 mm, respectively, relative to continuous irrigation on a fixed schedule. Pulse drip irrigation also increased fruit bud set by 5.1% during the second year. These results demonstrate the potential benefits of using weather-based scheduling and pulse drip in northern highbush blueberry, especially when the plants are grown on light-textured soils in hot, dry climates.
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Claims 16
Claim · model-written summary
Weather-based scheduling maintained greater stem water potentials in blueberry than fixed scheduling in the first year.
- Taxon
- Northern highbush blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosume0 - Treatment
- weather-based schedulinge1
- Outcome
- stem water potentialse1
- Direction
- greatere1
- Comparator
- fixed schedulinge2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Northern highbush blueberry”
e1“During the first year of the study, weather-based scheduling maintained greater stem water potentials in the plants”
e2“when compared with fixed scheduling”
Claim · model-written summary
Weather-based scheduling increased yield by 3.4 t⋅ha –1 compared with fixed scheduling in the first year.
- Taxon
- Northern highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume0
- Treatment
- weather-based schedulinge1
- Outcome
- yielde3
- Direction
- increasede3
- Value
- 3.4 t⋅ha –1e3
- Comparator
- fixed schedulinge2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Northern highbush blueberry”
e1“During the first year of the study, weather-based scheduling maintained greater stem water potentials in the plants”
e2“when compared with fixed scheduling”
e3“increased yield by 3.4 t⋅ha –1 , berry weight by 0.14 g/berry, berry diameter by 0.4 mm, and fruit bud set by 4.3%”
Claim · model-written summary
Weather-based scheduling increased berry weight by 0.14 g/berry compared with fixed scheduling in the first year.
- Taxon
- Northern highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume0
- Treatment
- weather-based schedulinge1
- Outcome
- berry weighte3
- Direction
- increasede3
- Value
- 0.14 g/berrye3
- Comparator
- fixed schedulinge2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Northern highbush blueberry”
e1“During the first year of the study, weather-based scheduling maintained greater stem water potentials in the plants”
e2“when compared with fixed scheduling”
e3“increased yield by 3.4 t⋅ha –1 , berry weight by 0.14 g/berry, berry diameter by 0.4 mm, and fruit bud set by 4.3%”
Claim · model-written summary
Weather-based scheduling increased berry diameter by 0.4 mm compared with fixed scheduling in the first year.
- Taxon
- Northern highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume0
- Treatment
- weather-based schedulinge1
- Outcome
- berry diametere3
- Direction
- increasede3
- Value
- 0.4 mme3
- Comparator
- fixed schedulinge2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Northern highbush blueberry”
e1“During the first year of the study, weather-based scheduling maintained greater stem water potentials in the plants”
e2“when compared with fixed scheduling”
e3“increased yield by 3.4 t⋅ha –1 , berry weight by 0.14 g/berry, berry diameter by 0.4 mm, and fruit bud set by 4.3%”
Claim · model-written summary
Weather-based scheduling increased fruit bud set by 4.3% compared with fixed scheduling in the first year.
- Taxon
- Northern highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume0
- Treatment
- weather-based schedulinge1
- Outcome
- fruit bud sete3
- Direction
- increasede3
- Value
- 4.3%e3
- Comparator
- fixed schedulinge2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Northern highbush blueberry”
e1“During the first year of the study, weather-based scheduling maintained greater stem water potentials in the plants”
e2“when compared with fixed scheduling”
e3“increased yield by 3.4 t⋅ha –1 , berry weight by 0.14 g/berry, berry diameter by 0.4 mm, and fruit bud set by 4.3%”
Claim · model-written summary
Pulse irrigation maintained greater stem water potentials in blueberry than continuous irrigation.
- Taxon
- Northern highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume0
- Treatment
- pulse irrigatione4
- Outcome
- stem water potentialse4
- Direction
- greatere4
- Comparator
- continuous irrigatione4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Northern highbush blueberry”
e4“Likewise, pulse irrigation maintained greater stem water potentials and, on average, increased berry weight and diameter by 0.10 g and 0.4 mm, respectively, fruit bud set by 3.3%, and canopy cover by 2.4% relative to continuous irrigation”
Claim · model-written summary
Pulse irrigation increased berry weight by 0.10 g relative to continuous irrigation in the first year.
- Taxon
- Northern highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume0
- Treatment
- pulse irrigatione4
- Outcome
- berry weighte4
- Direction
- increasede4
- Value
- 0.10 ge4
- Comparator
- continuous irrigatione4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Northern highbush blueberry”
e4“Likewise, pulse irrigation maintained greater stem water potentials and, on average, increased berry weight and diameter by 0.10 g and 0.4 mm, respectively, fruit bud set by 3.3%, and canopy cover by 2.4% relative to continuous irrigation”
Claim · model-written summary
Pulse irrigation increased berry diameter by 0.4 mm relative to continuous irrigation in the first year.
- Taxon
- Northern highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume0
- Treatment
- pulse irrigatione4
- Outcome
- diametere4
- Direction
- increasede4
- Value
- 0.4 mme4
- Comparator
- continuous irrigatione4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Northern highbush blueberry”
e4“Likewise, pulse irrigation maintained greater stem water potentials and, on average, increased berry weight and diameter by 0.10 g and 0.4 mm, respectively, fruit bud set by 3.3%, and canopy cover by 2.4% relative to continuous irrigation”
Claim · model-written summary
Pulse irrigation increased fruit bud set by 3.3% relative to continuous irrigation in the first year.
- Taxon
- Northern highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume0
- Treatment
- pulse irrigatione4
- Outcome
- fruit bud sete4
- Direction
- increasede4
- Value
- 3.3%e4
- Comparator
- continuous irrigatione4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Northern highbush blueberry”
e4“Likewise, pulse irrigation maintained greater stem water potentials and, on average, increased berry weight and diameter by 0.10 g and 0.4 mm, respectively, fruit bud set by 3.3%, and canopy cover by 2.4% relative to continuous irrigation”
Claim · model-written summary
Pulse irrigation increased canopy cover by 2.4% relative to continuous irrigation in the first year.
- Taxon
- Northern highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume0
- Treatment
- pulse irrigatione4
- Outcome
- canopy covere4
- Direction
- increasede4
- Value
- 2.4%e4
- Comparator
- continuous irrigatione4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Northern highbush blueberry”
e4“Likewise, pulse irrigation maintained greater stem water potentials and, on average, increased berry weight and diameter by 0.10 g and 0.4 mm, respectively, fruit bud set by 3.3%, and canopy cover by 2.4% relative to continuous irrigation”
Claim · model-written summary
Yield and canopy cover of blueberry were unaffected by any treatment in the second year.
- Taxon
- Northern highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume0
- Treatment
- any treatmente5
- Outcome
- Yield and canopy covere5
- Direction
- unaffectede5
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Northern highbush blueberry”
e5“Yield and canopy cover were unaffected by any treatment in the second year”
Claim · model-written summary
Weather-based scheduling continued to maintain greater stem water potentials in blueberry in the second year.
- Taxon
- Northern highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume0
- Treatment
- weather-based schedulinge6
- Outcome
- stem water potentialse6
- Direction
- greatere6
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Northern highbush blueberry”
e6“weather-based scheduling continued to maintain greater stem water potentials and, when combined with pulse irrigation”
Claim · model-written summary
Weather-based scheduling combined with pulse irrigation increased berry weight by 3.7 g relative to continuous irrigation on a fixed schedule in the second year.
- Taxon
- Northern highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume0
- Treatment
- when combined with pulse irrigatione6
- Outcome
- berry weighte7
- Direction
- increasede7
- Value
- 3.7 ge7
- Comparator
- continuous irrigation on a fixed schedulee7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Northern highbush blueberry”
e6“weather-based scheduling continued to maintain greater stem water potentials and, when combined with pulse irrigation”
e7“increased berry weight and diameter by 3.7 g and 1.0 mm, respectively, relative to continuous irrigation on a fixed schedule”
Claim · model-written summary
Weather-based scheduling combined with pulse irrigation increased berry diameter by 1.0 mm relative to continuous irrigation on a fixed schedule in the second year.
- Taxon
- Northern highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume0
- Treatment
- when combined with pulse irrigatione6
- Outcome
- diametere7
- Direction
- increasede7
- Value
- 1.0 mme7
- Comparator
- continuous irrigation on a fixed schedulee7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Northern highbush blueberry”
e6“weather-based scheduling continued to maintain greater stem water potentials and, when combined with pulse irrigation”
e7“increased berry weight and diameter by 3.7 g and 1.0 mm, respectively, relative to continuous irrigation on a fixed schedule”
Claim · model-written summary
Pulse drip irrigation increased fruit bud set by 5.1% in the second year.
- Taxon
- Northern highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume0
- Treatment
- Pulse drip irrigatione1
- Outcome
- fruit bud sete1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Value
- 5.1%e1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Northern highbush blueberry”
e1“Pulse drip irrigation also increased fruit bud set by 5.1% during the second year”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend using weather-based scheduling and pulse drip irrigation in northern highbush blueberry, especially on light-textured soils in hot, dry climates.
- Taxon
- Northern highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume0
- Outcome
- using weather-based scheduling and pulse dripe1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Northern highbush blueberry”
e1“These results demonstrate the potential benefits of using weather-based scheduling and pulse drip in northern highbush blueberry”
The same questions in other papers
irrigation · growth · Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry)Positive and negative results
2 papers in the same direction as this paper · 3 in the opposite direction
- positive
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See all 6 papers →irrigation · yield · Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry)Positive and negative results
4 papers in the same direction as this paper · 2 in the opposite direction · 1 reporting no difference from an alternative
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See all 8 papers →climate site · yield · Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- positive
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.