Blackberry Tissue Analysis

Monitoring Nutritional Status in New Cultivars

David H. Hardy for BRC

Plant, Waste and Solution Section

NCDA&CS Agronomic Division

Blackberry Acreage in NC

1999: < 100 acres

2002: about 150 acres

2006: SunnyRidge Farm, Inc., indicated desire to expand production by 5-700 A

Blackberry and raspberry

2009: about 400 acres

Future growth still expected

Blackberries – Yum!!!

Blackberry (Rubus)

Perennial root; biennial shoots

Primocane is vegetative; 1st year growth (no flowers or fruit)

Floricane is reproductive; 2nd year growth flowers, fruits then dies and is pruned out

Erect, semi-erect, trailing, semi-trailing

New Cultivars Erect and semi-erect

Thornless

Different harvest times

Navaho, Ouachita (others include Apache, Chester, Hull, Triple Crown, Arapaho, Chickasaw, Kiowa & Choctaw)

Cultivars suited to NC are currently being developed.

Cultivar Characteristics Navaho

Erect Univ. Arkansas Thornless Mid-late season Med-high yield Great postharvest

shelf life (PHSL)

Ouachita Erect Univ. Arkansas Thornless High yields Big berries, great

flavor Good PHSL

NC State University, AG 697-W, 2008

New Fertilization Practices

Currently, growers are more likely to spoon-feed soluble fertilizer through drip tape in addition to broadcasting or banding fertilizer.

New Fertilizer Recommendations

For mature blackberries: 60–80 lb N Spring: drip a total of 50 lb N

15 lb N March 1 10 lb N March 15, April 1, and April 15 5 lb N early May

Post harvest: apply remainder of N Fall: no nitrogen; lime and non-

nitrogenous fertilizers as needed

NCDA&CS Recommendations

Developed primarily for trailing blackberry

Provided micronutrient recommendations

Current Lime & Fertilizer

Lime to pH 6.0

March: Apply 40 lb N, 40 lb P2O5, 80 lb K20

July: Apply 60–80 lb N

Current NCDA&CS Sufficiency Ranges for Blackberry

(for trailing blackberry, primocane, mid season)

Nitrogen 3.0–4.0%

Phosphorus 0.2–0.6%

Potassium 2.5–3.5%

Calcium 0.5–1.0%

Magnesium 0.2–0.4%

Sulfur 0.2–0.6%

Sufficiency Ranges from Clark NABGA (1997)

Developed for newer cultivars

Collected from the primocane in August (or 2 weeks post harvest)

30–60 most recently mature leaves

Nitrogen 2.4–2.9%

Phosphorus >0.15%

Potassium 1.0–2.0%

Calcium >0.5%

Magnesium >0.3%

Sulfur >0.13%

Iron >50 ppm

Manganese >50 ppm

Zinc >20 ppm

Copper >7 ppm

Boron 30–50 ppm

2006

July, Bramble Production Workshop with SunnyRidge Farm, Inc.

November, Bramble Discussion with Gina Fernandez, David Hardy and Brenda Cleveland

Update recommendations for new cultivars and production practices

We want big, sweet, berries with great shelf life

How Should We Start?

Develop a baseline of plant sufficiency ranges

Focus on primocane, post harvest

Stabilized, stored N (Bernadine & Strik, 2008)

Follow with fertilization tests

Plant Tissue Analysis—2007 & 2008

Canes (2) Growth stage (4) Cultivars (2) Locations (from eastern to western NC) Most recently mature leaves (MRML)

2007 Easter Freeze

Cane

Primocane is vegetative; 1st year growth (no flowers or fruits)

Floricane is reproductive; 2nd year growth flowers, fruits then dies and is pruned out

CSIRO Australia by peterb

Growth Stages

Early (E): pre bloom

Bloom (B): full bloom

Fruit (F): ripe or harvesting fruit

Mature (M): 2 weeks post harvest

Sample Type

Predictive – monitor nutritional status

Diagnostic – verify if problems are related to poor nutritional status

LocationsCoastal Plain, east & west Piedmont & Mountain

Cleveland: 2 Commercial Growers

Granville: Oxford Tobacco Research Station

Henderson: 1 Commercial Grower

Lincoln: 4 Commercial Growers

Nash: 1 Commercial Grower

Rowan: Piedmont Research Station

Cooperating Growers

Soil pH ranged from 6-6.5

Good fertilization practices

Tissue samples collected from healthy canes that were not stressed

Samples Collected

Navaho Ouachita

Floricane Primocane Floricane Primocane

49 46 49 48

Tissue Sample Results

Average macronutrients concentrations

(N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S)

2008 Average Nitrogen

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

Early Bloom Fruit PostHarvestGrowth Stage

% N

Navaho-POuachita-PNavaho-FOuachita-F

N>2.4-2.9%Clark 1997

2008 Average Phosphorus

0.10

0.13

0.15

0.18

0.20

0.23

0.25

0.28

0.30

Early Bloom Fruit PostHarvest

Growth Stage

% P

Navaho-P

Ouachita-P

Navaho-F

Ouachita-F

P>0.15%Clark 1997

2008 Average Potassium

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1

1.1

1.2

Early Bloom Fruit PostHarvestGrowth Stage

% K

Navaho-POuachita-PNavaho-FOuachita-F

K>1.0-2.0%Clark 1997

2008 Average Calcium

0.30.40.50.60.70.80.9

11.11.2

Early Bloom Fruit PostHarvestGrowth Stage

% Ca

Navaho-POuachita-PNavaho-FOuachita-F

Ca>0.5%Clark 1997

2008 Average Magnesium

0.25

0.3

0.35

0.4

0.45

0.5

0.55

Early Bloom Fruit PostHarvest

Growth Stage

% Mg

Navaho-POuachita-PNavaho-FOuachita-F

Mg>0.3%Clark 1997

2008 Average Sulfur

0.10

0.13

0.15

0.18

0.20

0.23

0.25

Early Bloom Fruit PostHarvest

Growth Stage

% S

Navaho-P

Ouachita-P

Navaho-F

Ouachita-F

S>0.13%Clark 1997

Summary & Direction

Range (min/max) of Nutrient Concentrations in the Post Harvest Primocane Samples

Nutrient % concentration (baseline study)

Nitrogen 2.0-3.3

Phosphorus 0.13 – 0.26

Potassium 0.5 – 1.3

Calcium 0.3 – 1.0

Magnesium 0.25 – 0.50

Sulfur 0.13 – 0.20

Average Nutrient Concentrations in the Post Harvest Primocane Samples

Nutrient % concentration (baseline study)

% concentration (Clark, U. Ark, 1997)

Nitrogen 2.4 – 2.9 2.4 – 2.9

Phosphorus 0.17 – 0.18 >0.15

Potassium 0.77 – 0.84 1.0 – 2.0

Calcium 0.51 – 0.68 >0.5

Magnesium 0.30 – 0.38 >0.3

Sulfur 0.15 – 0.15 >0.13

In the Future Fertilization research

Develop soil fertility recommendations to optimize yield of new cultivars

Develop new plant tissue sufficiency ranges

continue baseline study (2009)

cultivars differences

which canes/growth stages predict fertilizer needs

fine-tune nutrient management