in the field


Bud set tips for blueberries


Post-harvestmanagement of nitrogen can be very important in getting good results for next year.


By Tamara Leigh B


lueberry growers looking for better bud set this autumn might find their plants benefit


from more attention and lower levels of nitrogen. “The period after harvest is important to the physiology of plant,” says Mark Sweeney, berry specialist for the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture. “The new growth that is occurring in mid-August and September is sensitive to change in temperature and day length. The cooler days and shorter nights trigger these shoots to slow down, stop growing and initiate flower buds that are the basis for next year’s crop.” Last season, September and October were exceptionally warm, dry months, causing the plants to continue to grow. As a result, some fields had reduced flower bud set because the growth didn’t stop early enough. “In order for flower buds to set the growing shoots need to stop because buds form from the tips back,” Sweeney explains. “Growers can’t control weather or temperature, but they can control other things. The problem can be made worse if there is excess available nitrogen to the plants.”


Nitrogen encourages growth; add


warm weather to high nitrogen levels, and it will encourage the excess growth, which in turn will result in less bud set and lighter crop the following year. Sweeney recommends assessing the


plants as they near the end of the season by looking at the amount of


16 British Columbia Berry Grower • Fall 2013


growth. If growth is excessive, growers may need to rethink their nitrogen program. Later in the fall, look at the one- year-old shoots and, working back from the tips, count the number of fat, flower buds that have formed. While Duke and Elliot varieties generally set enough buds to produce a full crop, Bluecrop can be more variable. Growers who experienced light bud set last year, should be particularly attentive


Do you have your Environmental


Farm Plan completed? 


This , ,     


  


  


 


 


1-866-522-3447  


Not knowing the legislation does not exempt you from it. 


Blueberry bud break. Fat buds at the tip are flower buds, the smaller buds further down are leaf buds.


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