Blueberry Irrigation

and Fertilization
David Bryla
USDA-ARS Horticultural Crops Research Unit
Corvallis, OR
 Global blueberry production

1500
295,000
acres
1200

Asia Pacific
million pounds

Med. & Africa

900
Europe
South America
104,000 North America
600
acres

300

0
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

From U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council

Consumer demand

• Health benefits
• Availability year-round
• New global markets
Fresh Market
Processed Market
 Highbush Blueberry
It takes about 6-8 years for a field to mature

Dr. Chad Finn (USDA plant breeder)

in 20-year-old ‘Bluejay’ field

Photo by B Strik, OSU

 Blueberry is a Unique Crop

• Shallow-rooted
(roots are extremely fine &
concentrated in top 12” of soil)

• “Acid loving”
(adapted to low soil pH & high
organic matter)

• Prefers NH4-N over NO3-N

(NO3-N is mobile in soil while
NH4-N is not)

• Sensitive to high salinity

(ammonium sulfate has a high
salinity index)

Impacts on water & nutrient requirements?

 Blueberry Irrigation

Sprinklers Drip
(traditional / frost control) (less water / control)

Most commercial blueberry fields are

irrigated by sprinklers or drip
Irrigation is applied once or twice a week by sprinklers
and every 1-3 days by drip
 Irrigation Study
Three irrigation systems…
…two cultivars…
…and three irrigation rates

Sprinklers

Drip

Irrigation rates:
Cultivars: • 50% ET (deficient)
c
• ‘Duke’ • 100% ETc (optimum)
• ‘Elliott’ • 150% ETc (excessive)
Microsprays
ETc = crop evapotranspiration
 Irrigation systems
Sprinklers Microsprays Drip

One line per

20 x 20 ft. spacing, A 6 gph emitter
row with 0.5
1.5 gpm sprinkler located between
gph emitters
heads every other plant
every 12 in.

wetting wetting wetting

front front front

• irrigated 1-2x’s/week • irrigated 3-7x’s/week • irrigated 3-7x’s/week

• efficiency - 35% • efficiency - 68% • efficiency - 90%
 Drip produced the
most growth in both
cultivars in Year 1
 Establishment of the planting
(year 2)
Sprinkler
Microspray
Drip Elliott
0.60

0.55
100% 150%
Total dry wt. (kg/plant)

0.50

0.45 150%
100%
50%
100%
0.40
150%

0.35 50%
50%

0.30

0.25
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Irrigation (in.)
Bryla et al. (2011)
 Early fruit production
(year 3)

Drip
Yield (tons/acre)

3 Microspray
Sprinkler

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Irrigation water applied (inches/season)

Bryla et al. (2017)
 Drip irrigation
(year 2)

Elliott Duke

Duke was smaller with drip

and growth was variable
Bryla & Linderman (2007)
Duke developed phytophthora root rot

Drip Microsprays
Root rot was greater with drip
and increased with higher water applications
Bryla & Linderman (2007)
 Marketable Fruit Production

Duke Elliott
5.5 12
Microspray
Microspray
5.0
10

4.5 Sprinkler Sprinkler

8
Yield (ton/acre)

4.0 Drip

3.5 6

3.0 Drip
4
Microsprays produced
2.5 highest yields in Elliott
Drip caused
2
2.0 severe problems with
root rot in Duke
1.5 0
3 4 5 6 7 3 4 5 6 7

Years after planting Years after planting

Bryla et al. (2017)

Why was drip less productive?

Less potential for

fruit contamination
with drip

Could we do
better?
Fertigation?
 Granular
fertilization
Triple-split application
(April, May & June)

Soil pH > 5.5: Ammonium sulfate (21-0-0)

Soil pH < 5.0: Urea (46-0-0)
 Fertigation vs. Granular Fertilizer
Fertigation
(irrigation water + fertilizer)

• Weekly injection Granular

• Triple-split application application
• Sprinklers
• Drip

• Young plants were up to 80% larger with weekly fertigation

• But required >135 lb N/acre to maximize growth

NH4+ NH4+ NH4+ NH4+ NH4+ NH4+ NH4+ NH4+ NH4+ NH4+ NH4+ NH4+ NH4+ NH4+ NH4+ NH4+ NH4+ N
Weekly fertigation (135 lb N/acre)
Granular fertilizer (drip or spinklers) – 90-135 lb N/acre

Discolored leaves Necrotic & senesced leaves

Dead canes Dead plants

Soil solution samplers
Soil solution sampler
 Soil N availability
2 Continuous fertigation
Fertigation
1

0
1000 Granular fertilizer
0 lb N/acre
NH4 -N (ppm)

Fertilizer applications 45 lb N/acre

800
90 lb N/acre
135 lb N/acre
+

600 Granular
fertilizer
400

200

0
Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct

2007
Bryla & Machado (2011)
 Soil salinity
2
Continuous fertigation
Fertigation
1
Electrical conductivity (mS cm )
-1

8 Granular fertilizer
0 lb N/acre
7 Granular 45 lb N/acre
6 fertilizer 90 lb N/acre
135 lb N/acre
5
4

3
2
Blueberry salt
tolerance
1

0
Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct

2007
Bryla & Machado (2011)
 Benefits of fertigation
20
12-40% more
No N fertilizer a
18 yield with
Fertigation
16 Granular fertilizer a b fertigation
14
b a
Yield (t ha )

12 b
-1

c c
10
a
8 b
c c
6

4 a
b b
2

0
Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7

1 t/ha =
0.45 ton/acre
Vargas & Bryla (2015)
 Nitrogen Fertigation is the Way to Go

Fertigation produces:
- Larger plants
- Higher yields

*About 65-110 lb N/a

was needed in
established plants
 Recommendation for drip line placement

Raised, level
planting beds
• More growth & yield
• Reduces root rot
• Limits runoff (flat top)

Two drip lines located 8” from

each side of plants & covered
with sawdust or weed mat
• Larger root system
• Prevents soil evaporation
• Secures drip lines
 But….

One line Two lines

• Earliblue • Duke • Bluecrop • Draper • Elliott • Aurora

Drip Drip
Drip
lateral lateral
lateral

NH4+ NH4+
NH4+ NH4+
NH4+ NH4+ NH4+
NH4+

Vargas et al. (2015)

Rapid Field Establishment

Goal:
Optimize source,
timing & placement
of N fertilizer

•Drip configurations

•Alternative fertilizers, e.g.,

slow-release, humic acids

• Pre-plant fertilizers

• Fertilizer timing
 Drip configurations
Two lines Two lines
One line
(fixed) (moved*)

*Placed next
Drip Drip Drip Drip to plants in
Drip lateral lateral lateral lateral year 1 &
lateral moved 8 in.
from plants
NH4+ in year 2
NH4+ NH4+
+
NH4NH +
NH4+ NH4+ 4
NH4+ NH4+ NH4+NH+
NH4+ 4

KISSS

KISSS
lateral
+
NH4+ NH4
NH4+ NH4+
 Alternative fertilizers*
Humic (organic) acids / NPK + Zn (Actagro)

Urea sulfuric acid (15-0-0-49)

Controlled-release fertilizer (poly-coated urea)

Nitrogen Uptake

*Standard
Liquid urea
(20-0-0)
Weeks After Application
 Fertilizer treatments
Pre-plant Irrigation Fertilizer N rate Application
Treatment fertilizer system1 source2 (lb/acre) dates

Drip configurations
1 Yes Drip (1 line) Liquid urea 90 mid-Apr. to late-July
2 Yes Drip (2 lines/moved) Liquid urea 90 mid-Apr. to late-July
3 Yes Drip (2 lines/fixed) Liquid urea 90 mid-Apr. to late-July.
4 Yes KISSS tape Liquid urea 90 mid-Apr. to late-July

Alternative fertilizers
5 Yes Drip (2 line/moved) Urea sulfuric acid 90 mid-Apr. to late-July
6 Yes Drip (2 lines/fixed) Granular + liq. urea 20 + 70 mid-Apr. & May + mid-
June to late-July
7 Yes Drip (2 lines/fixed) CRF 55 early-Apr.
8 Yes Drip (2 lines/fixed) CRF + liq. urea 55 + 35 early-Apr. + mid-June to
late-July
9 Yes Drip (2 lines/moved) Humic acids + NPK 90 mid-Apr. to late-July
10 Yes Drip (2 lines/moved) NPK only 90 mid-Apr. to late-July

Impact of no pre-plant fertilizer

11 No Drip (2 lines/moved) Liquid urea 90 mid-Apr. to late-July

Effects of late-season fertilizer application

12 Yes Drip (2 lines/moved) Liquid urea 90 mid-Apr. to mid-Sept.
 Shoot dry weight – Year 1
Leaf dry wt Stem dry wt Total dry wt
Treatment (g/plant) (g/plant) (g/plant)
2 lines (moved), humic acids / NPK + Zn 106 110 216
A
2 lines (moved), urea sulfuric acid 98 96 195
2 lines (moved), NPK + Zn (h.a. control) 79 84 163
2 lines (moved), liq. urea 75 86 162
1 line, liq. urea 64 86 150
B
KISSS, liq. urea 67 79 146
2 lines (moved), no pre-plant N 65 80 146
2 lines (moved), late-season N 66 79 145
2 lines (fixed), CRF + liq. urea 54 64 118
2 lines (fixed), granular urea + liq. urea 52 60 112
C
2 lines (fixed), CRF 44 61 105
2 lines (fixed), liq. urea 39 61 99
 Drip configurations
Two lines Two lines
One line
(fixed) (moved)

Drip Drip Drip Drip

Drip
lateral lateral lateral lateral
lateral

NH4+
NH4+ NH4+
+
NH4NH +
NH4+NH4+
4
NH4+ NH4+ NH4+NH+
NH4+ 4

64 g 49 g 65 g

KISSS

58 g
Sandy
soil?
 Alternative fertilizers
Liquid urea Gran. urea + liquid urea CRF + liquid urea

Root Root Root

65 g 58 g 48 g
*Each
treatment was
irrigated with
two drip lines N-pHuric Humic acids / NPK + Zn NPK + Zn (h.a. control)
& fertilized
with 90 lb
N/acre

Root Root Root

63 g 68 g 65 g
 Leaf N concentrations – Year 1
(treatment effects appeared to be mostly due to differences in plant N)
Year 1

Two lines (moved)

300 [Actagro]

Two lines (moved)

[with 1 line, KISSS, or 2 lines
(liq. urea, NPK, no pre-plant N,
250
Total dry weight (g/plant)

or late-season N)] Two lines (moved)

[N-pHURIC]

200

Two lines (fixed)

150 [CRF + liq. urea]
Leaf N (measured in August) vs.
Two lines (fixed) plant dry weight (measured in
[with CRF, granular, October)
or liq. urea only]
100
1.65 1.70 1.75 1.80 1.85 1.90 1.95 2.00 2.05
Leaf N (%)
 Shoot dry weight – Year 1 & 2

Treatment Year 1 Year 2

2 lines (moved), humic acids / NPK + Zn 216 651
2 lines (moved), urea sulfuric acid 195 588
2 lines (moved), NPK + Zn (h.a. control) 163 561
2 lines (moved), liq. urea 162 588
1 line, liq. urea 150 644
KISSS, liq. urea 146 592
2 lines (moved), no pre-plant N 146 591
2 lines (moved), late-season N 145 549
2 lines (fixed), CRF + liq. urea 118 518
2 lines (fixed), granular urea + liq. urea 112 440
2 lines (fixed), CRF 105 408
2 lines (fixed), liq. urea 99 496
 Drip configurations – Year 2
Two lines Two lines
One line
(fixed) (moved)

Drip Drip Drip Drip

Drip
lateral lateral lateral lateral
lateral

NH4+
NH4+ NH4+
+
NH4NH +
NH4+NH4+
4
NH4+ NH4+ NH4+NH+
NH4+ 4

227 g 224 g 241 g

KISSS

216 g
 Alternative fertilizers – Year 2
Liquid urea Gran. urea + liquid urea CRF + liquid urea

Root Root Root

241 g 212 g 200 g

*Each
treatment was
irrigated with
two drip lines N-pHuric Humic acids / NPK + Zn NPK + Zn (h.a. control)
& fertilized
with 90 lb
N/acre

Root Root Root

219 g 349 g 236 g
 Leaf N concentrations – Year 2
(other factors affected plant size by year 2)
Year 2
Two lines (moved)
[Actagro]
1000

Two lines (moved)

[with 1 line, KISSS, or 2 lines
(liq. urea, NPK, N-pHURIC,
900 no pre-plant N, or late-season N)]
Total dry weight (g/plant)

800

700 Two lines (fixed)

[with CRF + liq. urea or liq. urea only]
Two lines (fixed)
[CRF] Two lines (fixed)
[granular fertilizer]
600
1.40 1.45 1.50 1.55 1.60 1.65 1.70 1.75 1.80 1.85
Leaf N (%)
 Conclusions & Recommendations

Irrigation: Sprinklers (or microsprays) work as well as (or better

than) drip but require a lot more water

• There’s often good reasons to use sprinklers (infrastructure,

water quality, frost, root rot)
• There’s also good reasons to use drip (water use efficiency,
food safety, fertigation)

Fertgation: Superior to granular fertilizer application

• Avoid granular fertilizers, including CRFs

• Place drip line(s) close to plants during establishment
• Fertigate (weekly) from bud break to mid summer
• No need for pre-plant N
• Consider using humic acids (poor soils, low vigor)
 Drip Drip
Drip
lateral lateral
lateral

Soil solution NH4+ NH4+

sampler NH4+ NH4+
NH4+ NH4+ NH4+
NH4+

Questions?
Humic acids

KISSS

Root
Root rot 349 g