Abstract
‘Mini Blues’ highbush blueberry ( Vaccinium sp.) was released in 2016 as a high-quality, machine-harvestable cultivar for processed markets. A planting was established in Oct 2015 in western Oregon and an initial study, published in 2022, included the following pruning treatments, which began in Winter 2017–18: 1) conventional highbush pruning (HB); 2) removing one or two of the oldest canes per bush (Speed); 3) leaving plants to grow from 2017–21 (Unpruned); and 4) hedging after fruit harvest in 2018 (Hedge) and then unpruned afterward. Hedge plants were considered identical to Unpruned at the end of the initial study. In Winter 2021–22, this study began when Unpruned and Hedge treatment plants were renovated by cutting all canes back to a height of ∼30 cm and thinning to the strongest 8 to 10 canes per plant. In Winter 2022–23, half of the renovated plants were thinned (“cane thinning”), leaving 10 to 12 strong canes, and the other half were left unthinned. Pruning time, yield, berry weight, and total soluble solids (TSS) were measured from 2022 to 2024 to determine how quickly plants recovered from renovation and what the economic considerations are for this practice given the loss of yield in 2022 after renovation. Cane thinning in Winter 2022–23 reduced yield compared with all other treatments in 2023, but all treatments had similar yield by the third season after renovation (2024). Berry weight and TSS were similar among treatments, except Speed had smaller berries in 2023. Cane thinning required 331 h/ha compared with 44 h/ha for Unthinned (removing low growth) and 376 h/ha for HB in 2022–23. The highest post-renovation economic returns, as well as cumulative returns (2018–24) came from Speed pruning, followed by unpruned with renovation and no cane thinning. Cane thinning reduced yield for 1 year, cost more for labor, and showed no significant benefit in the 2 years since it was performed. ‘Mini Blues’ continues to perform well with reduced labor practices and does not need to be pruned using conventional techniques.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Cane thinning in winter 2022-23 reduced yield compared with all other treatments in 2023.
- Material
- Mini Bluese0
- Treatment
- Cane thinninge2
- Outcome
- yielde2
- Direction
- reducede2
- Comparator
- all other treatmentse2
- Setting
- western Oregone1
VacciniumOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“‘Mini Blues’ highbush blueberry ( Vaccinium sp.) was released in 2016 as a high-quality, machine-harvestable cultivar for processed markets”
e1“A planting was established in Oct 2015 in western Oregon”
e2“Cane thinning in Winter 2022–23 reduced yield compared with all other treatments in 2023”
Claim · model-written summary
All treatments had similar yield by the third season after renovation (2024).
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“‘Mini Blues’ highbush blueberry ( Vaccinium sp.) was released in 2016 as a high-quality, machine-harvestable cultivar for processed markets”
e3“all treatments had similar yield by the third season after renovation (2024)”
Claim · model-written summary
Berry weight and TSS were similar among treatments.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“‘Mini Blues’ highbush blueberry ( Vaccinium sp.) was released in 2016 as a high-quality, machine-harvestable cultivar for processed markets”
e4“Berry weight and TSS were similar among treatments, except Speed had smaller berries in 2023”
Claim · model-written summary
Speed pruning gave smaller berries than the other treatments in 2023.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“‘Mini Blues’ highbush blueberry ( Vaccinium sp.) was released in 2016 as a high-quality, machine-harvestable cultivar for processed markets”
e4“Berry weight and TSS were similar among treatments, except Speed had smaller berries in 2023”
Claim · model-written summary
Cane thinning required 331 h/ha of pruning time, compared with 44 h/ha for unthinned plants and 376 h/ha for conventional highbush pruning.
- Treatment
- Cane thinninge6
- Outcome
- Pruning timee7
- Direction
- higherinferrede6
- Value
- 331 h/hae6
- Comparator
- 44 h/ha for Unthinnede6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“‘Mini Blues’ highbush blueberry ( Vaccinium sp.) was released in 2016 as a high-quality, machine-harvestable cultivar for processed markets”
e6“Cane thinning required 331 h/ha compared with 44 h/ha for Unthinned (removing low growth) and 376 h/ha for HB in 2022–23”
e7“Pruning time, yield, berry weight, and total soluble solids (TSS) were measured from 2022 to 2024”
Claim · model-written summary
The highest post-renovation and cumulative economic returns came from Speed pruning, followed by unpruned plants with renovation and no cane thinning.
- Treatment
- Speed pruninge5
- Outcome
- economic returnse5
- Direction
- higheste5
- Comparator
- unpruned with renovation and no cane thinninge5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“‘Mini Blues’ highbush blueberry ( Vaccinium sp.) was released in 2016 as a high-quality, machine-harvestable cultivar for processed markets”
e5“The highest post-renovation economic returns, as well as cumulative returns (2018–24) came from Speed pruning, followed by unpruned with renovation and no cane thinning”
Claim · model-written summary
Cane thinning showed no significant benefit in the two years after it was performed.
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“‘Mini Blues’ highbush blueberry ( Vaccinium sp.) was released in 2016 as a high-quality, machine-harvestable cultivar for processed markets”
e7“Cane thinning reduced yield for 1 year, cost more for labor, and showed no significant benefit in the 2 years since it was performed”
Claim · model-written summary
Mini Blues does not need to be pruned using conventional techniques and performs well with reduced labor practices.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“‘Mini Blues’ highbush blueberry ( Vaccinium sp.) was released in 2016 as a high-quality, machine-harvestable cultivar for processed markets”
e7“‘Mini Blues’ continues to perform well with reduced labor practices and does not need to be pruned using conventional techniques”
The same questions in other papers
pruning · yield · VacciniumResults differ
11 papers in the same direction as this paper · 6 in the opposite direction
- negative
- negative
- negative
14 papers more in this group
See all 18 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.