Effect of length and thermal time of the growing season on blueberry production

Abstract

Highbush blueberry is one of the most popular fruit-bearing culture in the world. But its cultivation is associated with a number of peculiarities, which must be considered when setting up plantations in a given region. To ensure large stable harvests cultivars require sufficient heat sum and time for successful formation of flower buds, which provide the next year’s harvest of berries. Initiation and formation of flower buds begins during crop maturation and ends with the growing season. According to our observation data, blueberry cultivars require no less than 100 days and a heat sum of no less than 900°C (of temperatures above 0°C) during this period to successfully initiate flower buds. Failing to meet this mark leads to a significant (2,0-2,5 times) drop in yield. When setting up industrial plantations it is important to consider these circumstances and to select the cultivars, maturation times of which allow the plants to successfully form the number of flower buds, which provide a consistent high yield and profitability of the grown culture in the given region.