The Effects of Fertilizers on Rabbiteye Blueberry(Vaccinium ashei Reade.)Root Distribution and Fruit Yield

The root system plays an important role in the growth and development of blueberry.The aim of this study was to assess the impacts of different fertilizers on the root growth and root–yield relationship of blueberry to provide insight into the regulation of root growth and fruit yield by fertilizing from the perspective of the root system.Rabbiteye blueberry variety‘Britewell’as the test material,and six fertilizers,including BF,OR,CF,SF,HF,and RT were used in single-factor fertilization experiments to analyze the effects of different fertilizer treatments on the root morphology,root distribution,and fruit yield of blueberry.Fertilization overall increased the root length density and root surface area in most soil layers,and the RT treatment significantly increased the total root length density and total root surface area 98.6%and 98.5%,respectively,compared with a control lacking fertilizer.In addition,the effect of fertilization on the blueberry root system was mainly observed in the 0–20 cm layer.Fruit yield was positively correlated with total root length density and total root surface area,and negatively correlated with average root diameter.In summary,the SF and RT treatments increased the morphological indexes of the root system,particularly in the shallow soil layers,leading to an increase in blueberry fruit yield.

Land＇s Prior Use Affects the Establishment and Productivity of Rabbiteye Blueberry （Vaccinium ashel~ Cultivars

＂Austin＂ and ＂Climax＂ rabbiteye blueberries （Vaccinium ashei） grown on two soil types in Columbia, AL were studied during 2009-2010 to evaluate the effect of soil quality on blueberry vegetative growth, yield, and fruit characteristics. The site previously used for peanut production had 2% organic matter, a high soil pH, and a high phosphorus level, while the site previously left to pasture had twice as much organic matter, lower pH and phosphorus. Both cultivars had greater fruit set when grown on pasture land in comparison to the same cultivars grown on old crop land. Pasture land grown ＂Austin＂ and ＂Climax＂ plants produced as much as three times greater yields than the same cultivars grown on old crop land, and were more vigorous in comparison with plants grown on old crop land. Higher plant vigor and yields may be a result of the alleviation of establishment stress provided by the higher organic content found on the pasture land soil. Proper soil amendment prior to planting may serve to improve some of the differences in rabbiteye blueberry plant performance during the years of establishment.