Tools for Proper Nutrient Management in Berry Crops. Bernadine C. Strik Extension Berry Crops Professor Department of Horticulture

Transcription

1 Tools for Proper Nutrient Management in Berry Crops Bernadine C. Strik Extension Berry Crops Professor Department of Horticulture

2 Nutrient management guides available

3 Key questions related to nutrient management How much nutrient should be applied? When is the best time to apply the nutrient? What source of nutrient or what material is best to apply? What method of application is best?

4 Pre-Plant Soil Testing Adjust soil nutrients, prior to planting if required Obtain representative soil sample of field take down to tillage depth Test well in advance of planting Adjust soil nutrients based on test results

5 Critical levels for soil nutrient content Nutrient Unit Blueberry Caneberry Strawberry ph (2:1; in water) target: 4.5 to to to 6.5 Deficient at less than: Phosphorus (P; Bray) ppm 25 to to Phosphorus (Olsen) ppm 10 to to Potassium (K) ppm 100 to to to 175 Calcium (Ca) ppm Magnesium (Mg) ppm Manganese (Mn) ppm 20 to to to 60 Boron (B) ppm 0.5 to to EC ds/m 2 2 2

6 Soil ph affects nutrient availability blueberry Strawberry caneberry Optimum ph

7 Plant into soil with a ph in desired range Plants are adapted to taking up nutrients when soil ph is within specified range Problems occur when soil ph is outside this range (e.g. high soil ph issues in blueberry) Soil ph too high; lime induced iron deficiency in blueberry

8 Keep soil ph in desired range Fertilization lowers soil ph (every 100 lb N/acre/year drops soil ph 0.1 unit) If ph drops below recommended level then nutrient problems can occur It is very difficult to significantly raise soil ph (with lime) after planting Soil ph too low in blueberry Aluminum toxicity

9 Ammonium vs. Nitrate Species adapted to low soil ph Species adapted to medium-high soil ph NH 4 + NO 3 -

10 Soil ph affects N form available Hart, Strik, & Rempel (2006.) Nutrient Management Guide. Caneberries. OSU Ext. Ser.

11 Soil testing in established longlived plantings Collect samples every 2 to 3 years unless correcting a problem Sample at the same time of year, but not in spring (right after fertilization) Sample to a depth of 1.5 to 2 ft in the row for caneberry & blueberry (remove mulch in blueberry) Keep records

12 Once soil fertility ideal for crop, start with recommended fertilizer application rates in guides (e.g. Nitrogen rates) Crop Planting year (lb N/acre) Mature (lb N/acre) June-bearing strawberry Day-neutral strawberry (continual cropping in summer/fall) Floricane-fruiting blackberry & raspberry Primocane-fruiting raspberry & blackberry Blueberry 0.8 oz/plant N rate increases as planting ages from year 5 to 8+

13 Adjust Nutrient Programs with Tissue Testing in Perennial Fruit Crops & Observations of Growth Sample most recent fully-expanded leaves Primocanes in raspberry & blackberry Tissue sampling in blueberry Avoid whips in blueberry (Hughes et al., 1979)

14 Time of Sampling Crop Sample time Comments June-bearing strawberry After renovation (~ mid- to late-aug.) Soil sampling best for short-term field plantings Floricane-fruiting blackberry late-july to early-august & raspberry Standards are based on Marion and Meeker Primocane-fruiting raspberry late-july (rasp) Standards for primocane raspberry need modifying & blackberry from bloom - early red fruit (blackberry) Standards are being developed Blueberry late-july to early-august Standards developed from Bluecrop

15 Leaf nutrient sufficiency levels Late July-early Aug Nutrient Blueberry Caneberry Strawberry Nitrogen (%N) 1.76 to to to 3.0 Phosphorus (%P) 0.11 to to to 0.3 Potassium (%K) 0.41 to to to 2.0 Calcium (%Ca) 0.41 to to to 2.0 Magnesium (%Mg) 0.13 to to to 0.5 Sulfur (%S) 0.11 to to to 0.4 Manganese (ppm Mn) 30 to to to 650 Boron (ppm B) 30 to to to 45 Iron (ppm Fe) 60 to to to 200 Zinc (ppm Zn) 8 to to to 50 Copper (ppm Cu) 5 to 15 6 to 20 6 to 20 If tissue nutrients outside range fertilization may be needed

16 Time of Sampling Primocane leaf %N & %K raspberry Tissue sampling should be done when leaf nutrient concentrations are most stable in late-july to early-august (shaded area) Data from Bryla and Strik

17 Primocane leaf %N, blackberry 2 sites Organic Primocane Chart N Title (%) Organic Trailing Primocane N Present tissue standards ** * n.s * n.s *** n.s ** ** ** ***... Present tissue standards BD - Primocane Marion - Primocane Obsidian - Primocane Onyx - Primocane /20/13 6/3/13 6/17/13 7/1/13 7/15/13 7/29/13 8/12/13 8/27/13 9/10/13 9/23/13 10/7/13 Demo Trailing Primocane Chart NTitle Demo Trailing Primocane N (%) BD - Primocane Cstar - Primocane Marion - Primocane Obsidian - Primocane Onyx - Primocane 0 5/20/13 6/3/13 6/17/13 7/1/13 7/15/13 7/29/13 8/12/13 8/27/13 9/10/13 9/23/13 10/7/13

18 N (%) N (%) Leaf %N in 6 blueberry cultivars 2 sites N (%), NWREC *** *** ** *** ** ** ** ** 4/23/13 5/7/13 5/21/13 6/3/13 6/18/13 7/1/13 7/15/13 7/30/13 8/13/13 8/27/13 Present tissue standards 9/10/13 9/24/13 10/8/13 Aurora Bluecrop Draper Duke Legacy Liberty N (%), Grower /23/13 *** *** * *** ** ** ** *** *** ** *** 5/7/13 5/21/13 6/3/13 6/18/13 7/1/13 7/15/13 7/30/13 8/13/13 8/27/13 9/10/13 9/24/13 10/8/13 Aurora Bluecrop Draper Duke Legacy Liberty

19 Ca (%) Ca (%) Leaf %Ca in 6 blueberry cultivars 2 sites Ca (%), NWREC /23/13 *** *** *** ** *** *** *** ** 5/7/13 5/21/13 6/3/13 6/18/13 7/1/13 7/15/13 7/30/13 8/13/13 8/27/13 Present tissue standards 9/10/13 9/24/13 10/8/13 Aurora Bluecrop Draper Duke Legacy Liberty Ca (%), Grower *** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** 4/23/13 5/7/13 5/21/13 6/3/13 6/18/13 7/1/13 7/15/13 7/30/13 8/13/13 8/27/13 9/10/13 9/24/13 10/8/13 Aurora Bluecrop Draper Duke Legacy Liberty

20 Cultivar Differences (e.g. blackberry) Primocane leaves, grower site (late July); all fertilized same (Fernandez, Strik, Bryla, in progress)

21 Sampling to diagnose causes of leaf symptoms Sample leaves from problem plants & normal looking plants and compare results at any time of year

22 Key questions related to nutrient management How much nutrient should be applied? When is the best time to apply the nutrient? What source of nutrient or what material is best to apply? What method of application is best?

23 Best time to apply fertilizer Varies with: Berry crop grown Fertilizer nutrient being applied Fertilizer source being used & application method In general, apply nutrients that are relatively immobile in soil (P, K, Mg, Ca) in fall or late winter as granular products Apply needed micronutrients as foliar products to target tissue Apply N fertilizer based on research of N uptake in berry crops Avoid late fertilization with N in many berry crops

24 Possible Negative Effects of Above-ideal Nitrogen Fertilization N and K fertilizer effects, Thornless Evergreen (Nelson & Martin, 1986) Berry N and K Yield wt. Brix Firmness (lb/a) (tons/a) (g) (%) (N) N sufficient raspberry N deficient a 3.2 a 13.4 a 3.98 a b 3.5 b 12.4 b 4.06 b c 3.3 a 12.9 c 3.82 a In Arapaho blackberry, N rate had no effect on yield or berry weight (Naraguma & Clark, 1998)

25 Increase Effect of increasing N fertilization on yield Powerpoint Templates and quality of blueberry (schematic) FBI Berry weight Yield Increasing N rate Source: Oscar Vargas, OSU Page 25

26 Strawberries

27 Fertilization: Recommend 50 lb N/acre at renovation for June-bearers

28 Renovation Mow ~ 2 weeks post-harvest Fertilize Irrigate Plants form flower buds for next year s crop

29 June-bearing Strawberry Do not fertilize with N in the spring Spring N promotes leaf growth & does not increase yield Greater leaf growth often leads to more fruit rot

30 Fertilization in day-neutral strawberry: These are not renovated. Dole required N out over fruiting season.with drip irrigation under plastic would need to fertigate Albion hill system, Oregon

31 Unique Nutrient Characteristics of Perennial Fruit Crops N, P, K, Mg and Mn are retained as reserves in dormant tissues (buds, wood & roots) for remobilization in spring Nutrients are recycled into the soil as dropped flowers & fruit, leaf fall & prunings

32 Fertilization in blackberry

33 N taken up into floricanes & primocanes N taken up into crown N taken up into fruit & primocanes May Apr Jun ~ 30% of stored N remobilized for floricane growth N removed in fruit Jul N stored in floricane & primocane leaves Internal N cycling Aug N reallocated from floricane to primocane Sept N withdrawn from primocane leaves N uptake into primocanes, crown, roots Oct Nov N removed in floricane prunings (some recovery) Mar Data from Mohadjer, Strik, Righetti (2001) Slide format adapted from D. Neilsen Feb N stored in primocanes crown & roots Jan Dec N lost during leaf senescence (some recovery) 46 lb/a N removed

34 Nutrients removed in machine-harvested fruit of Marion and Black Diamond, 2012 (Harkins, Strik, Bryla, in progress) Fruit harvest Black Diamond Marion Black Diamond Marion Macronutrients (lb/ton) N P K Mg Ca S Micronutrients (oz./ton) B Fe Mn Cu Zn Al

35 Nutrients removed per TON of harvested fruit ( Meeker ) & per ACRE of prunings (adapted from Rempel & Strik, 2004) Macronutrients (lb) Crop N P K Ca Mg S Fruit (per ton harvested) Red raspberry Prunings (per acre) Red raspberry Micronutrients (oz) Fruit (per ton harvested) B Cu Mn Zn Red raspberry Prunings (per acre) Red raspberry

36 Fertilization with N in trailing blackberry Apply granular N in split portions: half in early April rest in mid-june If fertigating, it s more difficult to get adequate N on when don t need to irrigate (suggest using granular application first) Marion in early April

37 Blueberry N fertilization Start at early bloom finish in late June/early July

38 Enough N stored in plant & new N & good pruning for fruit production & early growth

39 Nutrients removed per TON of harvested fruit (range for 7 cultivars) & per ACRE of prunings (Elliott data) Macronutrients (lb) Crop N P K Ca Mg S Fruit (per ton harvested) Prunings (per acre) Micronutrients (oz) B Cu Mn Zn Fe Al Fruit (per ton harvested) Prunings (per acre)

40 Need N for post-harvest growth for next year s crop Use pruning and N fertilization to get good growth but not late growth

41 Impact of sawdust mulch Sawdust immobilizes fertilizer N Add ~ 25 lb N/a when applying 3 inch deep mulch

42 Composts test! Douglas fir sawdust Yard debris compost ph: 4.2 C:N ratio: 441 N (%): 0.1 P (ppm): 255 K (ppm): 46 B (ppm): 2.1 Mn (ppm) 61 ph: 7.3 C:N ratio: 21 N (%): 1.1 P (ppm): 2356 K (ppm): 562 B (ppm): 7.8 Mn (ppm) 540

43 Fertilizer sources (inorganic) Best N source varies with berry crop For strawberry, raspberry, and blackberry, fertilize with nitrate (NO 3- ) forms of N (e.g. calcium nitrate, [varies]; ammonium nitrate, ; or blends) For blueberry fertilize with the ammonium form of N (NH 4+ ) (e.g. ammonium sulfate, ; urea, ) Avoid fertilizers with chloride (Cl) in blueberry In blueberry use potassium sulfate (K 2 SO 4,0-0-50) In caneberry & strawberry use muriate of potash (KCl, ) or potassium nitrate ( ) if also need N Use Sul-Po-Mag if Mg also needed (0-0-22) Use MAP or DAP mono- or di-ammonium phosphate ( or if need N and P) Maintain soil ph in desired range for the crop Affects rate of nitrification and nutrient availability

44 Fertilizer sources (inorganic) Liquid sources of N available for fertigation systems For strawberry & caneberry use products with nitrate-n source (e.g. UAN a mixture of urea, ammonium nitrate and water, [varies]) For blueberry, products like liquid urea (20-0-0) and N-Phuric acid (urea-sulfuric acid blend, ) are available

45 Fertilizer sources (organic) Animal based Use of fresh manures not recommended/omri approved Animal meal products (e.g. blood, bone, feather, poultry litter) Liquid products (e.g. fish emulsion) may be fertigated Composts (plant or animal based) may be used before planting or as a mulch after planting Always test compost prior to use Plant based Liquid distilled products (e.g. corn steep liquor) may be fertigated Alfalfa or soybean meal Various teas, seaweed, humic acids

46 Organic (OMRI approved) fertilizers [examples] Feather meal (13-0-0) Granular, ph 5.7; EC 1.7 ds/m Applied as a split 2x. early-april & mid-may Fish emulsion (4-1-1) Liquid, ph 3.7; EC 20.4 ds/m Applied as a split 7x. mid-april through early-july. Dilute 1:10 Corn/Fish blend ( ) Pelletized Soybean meal (7-1-2)

47 Plant Emitter Fertigation Drip line Emitter Emitter Plant 50 Immobile (NH 4, P, K, Zn) Mobile (NO 3, B, S, Cl) 40 Soil water content (%) Good nutrient management requires attention to irrigation Courtesy: D. Bryla Distance (in.)

48 Soil and tissue testing are important tools, but. Keep records of weather, plant health, fertilization, irrigation, and plant growth Adding more fertilizer will not compensate for other limiting factors

49 Acknowledgements Nutrition Program Gil Buller & Amanda Vance, Research Assistants Graduate Students: Pilar Bañados, N 15 in blueberry Paula Mohadjer, N 15 in AY Kotata Hannah Rempel, N 15 & N rate in Meeker Renee Harkins, organic blackberry Javier Fernandez-Salvador, org. blackberry Emily Dixon, org. blackberry Research & Extension collaborators David Bryla, USDA-ARS, HCRU Tim Righetti, formerly OSU John Hart, Crop & Soil Sci., OSU Dan Sullivan, Crop & Soil Sci., OSU