Effect of different fertilizer concentrations on growth, yield and quality of blueberry

In order to provide a theoretical basis for the fertigation system in blueberries, an experiment using the blueberry cultivar ‘Sharpblue’ based on fertilizer concentrations was carried out under fertigation in a soilless system to study the effect of different fertilizer concentrations on growth, yield, and quality.
The study was conducted using a RCBD experimental design consisting of 4 treatments (0.3, 0.6, 0.9, and 1.2 g L^‑1 of NPK water-soluble fertilizer) (N: 20%, P₂O₅: 20%, K₂O: 20%). Each treatment had three replicates with three plants per replicate.
The results showed that there was a significant difference in the growth of ‘Sharpblue’ under different fertilizer concentrations.
The growth of plant height, average crown diameter, and branch diameter of 0.9 g L^‑1 treatment were higher than that of the other three treatments, significantly.
Moreover, the photosynthetic pigments content of 0.9 g L^‑1 treatment was higher, MDA content was lower than the other treatments.
The plants of 0.9 g L^‑1 treatment had higher activity of SOD and lower generation rate of superoxide radical (O₂^·-), which caused dormancy delays.
The single fruit weight, yield, and fruit quality of the 0.9 g L^‑1 treatment were better than the other treatments.
Based on the results, it is indicated that the fertilizer concentration of 0.9 g L^‑1 can increase yield, improve fruit quality, and can be used as a suitable fertilizer concentration for the cultivation of ‘Sharpblue’ in fertigation system.

XIII International Vaccinium Symposium

Z.J. Huang, H.Y. Yang, Y.Q. Wu, L.F. Lyu, W.L. Wu, W.L. Li

blueberry (Vaccinium spp.), plant growth, physiological characteristics, productivity, quality traits

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2025.1440.59