Articles
Better management of soilless potting media for southern highbush blueberry, an Australian case study
Article number
1357_12
Pages
79 – 84
Language
English
Abstract
The Australian blueberry industry is rapidly adopting potted substrate and fertigation for better control of crop water and nutrition.
In these systems, low-chill cultivars of southern highbush blueberry are grown as evergreen crops but the availability of information for using these systems more efficiently is limited.
A pot trial of blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum OB1) was established in a coir and peat substrate and fertigated with a complete nutrient solution at an electrical conductivity (EC) of 0.88 dS m‑1 and pH of 5.7, to quantify the uptake of total dissolved salts (TDS) from nutrient solution by plants and to evaluate that lost in drainage.
The daily volume and EC of feed and drainage were used to calculate TDS values.
The uptake of TDS by the potted plants declined in late autumn, remained low during winter fruit production, and increased in late winter, peaking in summer, associated with spring fruit production and with the growth of the canopy.
Fertigation events producing drainage volumes of less than 40% yielded between 49 and 227 mg of TDS, pot‑1, day‑1, and up to 400 mg for greater drainage volumes.
In contrast, rain released as much as 3196 mg of TDS pot‑1 through leachates for one 53-mm event.
This study shows how TDS estimates can be used as an index of plant demand and used to guide fertigation applications.
It also highlights the value in capturing nutrient-rich drainage as a resource, and as a means to reduce the risk of leachates becoming a source of nutrient pollution.
In these systems, low-chill cultivars of southern highbush blueberry are grown as evergreen crops but the availability of information for using these systems more efficiently is limited.
A pot trial of blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum OB1) was established in a coir and peat substrate and fertigated with a complete nutrient solution at an electrical conductivity (EC) of 0.88 dS m‑1 and pH of 5.7, to quantify the uptake of total dissolved salts (TDS) from nutrient solution by plants and to evaluate that lost in drainage.
The daily volume and EC of feed and drainage were used to calculate TDS values.
The uptake of TDS by the potted plants declined in late autumn, remained low during winter fruit production, and increased in late winter, peaking in summer, associated with spring fruit production and with the growth of the canopy.
Fertigation events producing drainage volumes of less than 40% yielded between 49 and 227 mg of TDS, pot‑1, day‑1, and up to 400 mg for greater drainage volumes.
In contrast, rain released as much as 3196 mg of TDS pot‑1 through leachates for one 53-mm event.
This study shows how TDS estimates can be used as an index of plant demand and used to guide fertigation applications.
It also highlights the value in capturing nutrient-rich drainage as a resource, and as a means to reduce the risk of leachates becoming a source of nutrient pollution.
Publication
Authors
S.E. Parks, J. Jarvis, D. Unsworth, M. Simpson, D. Sun
Keywords
growing media, hydroponics, fertiliser, runoff
Online Articles (56)