The Studies section incorporated six new publications with an applied focus on field and post-harvest decisions in the industry. blueberryThe selection combines very current questions for the season, such as the real efficiency of pollination when species coexist, the weight of aroma in varietal differentiation and the adjustment of nutrition and management strategies to sustain quality.

In parallel, these studies offer an applied perspective on decisions that typically define outcomes and costs. They include research on fertigation in soilless cultivation, firmness and mechanical resistance, a comprehensive overview of R&D that identifies trends, and an economic analysis that quantifies an alternative management approach for D. suzukii in organic farming.

Why they are worth reviewing

In the field and post-harvest, these six studies provide measurable criteria for decisions that impact yield and consistency. They include evidence on pollination, sensory variables beyond °Brix, fertilization calibration in soilless cultivation, and physical attributes related to mechanical damage—areas where management adjustments often translate into improved condition and standardization.

From a management perspective, the update also incorporates two components that help to organize medium-term decisions. On the one hand, a bibliometric review that shows how research is organized in blueberry and which lines concentrate development. On the other hand, an economic analysis that allows evaluating cost-benefit before investing in an organic management alternative for D. suzukii.

The six studies, in brief

1) Pollination: coexistence of species and assessment of pollen load

An article in Ecology and Evolution, developed at the University of Florida (Entomology and Nematology, and Horticultural Sciences), evaluated whether the presence of bumblebees with “buzz pollination” increases the pollen load on honeybees in blueberry southern highbush.

Under the experimental conditions, no increase in pollen load was observed in honeybees due to the presence of bumblebees. The study did report observations related to interaction and activity according to temperature, which are useful for evaluating pollination systems without assuming direct effects.

2) Quality: aroma and varietal differentiation beyond °Brix

An article in Plants, developed by researchers from the University of Western Macedonia and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, compared five cultivars at harvest and after cold storage, integrating profiles of metabolites and volatile compounds.

The analysis highlighted volatile compounds as a factor with a high capacity to differentiate materials, while primary metabolites are associated with the sweetness-acidity balance. In practical terms, this reinforces the idea that sensory experience is constructed from more than one attribute and that aroma can explain varietal differences even when some traditional indicators are similar.

3) Nutrition and performance in soilless cultivation: fertigation in 'Duke'

An article in Applied Sciences, with main participation from the Polytechnic University of Marche (Italy), evaluated three fertilization regimes defined by the electrical conductivity (EC) of the nutrient solution in soilless cultivation, focusing on vegetative growth, yield and fruit quality parameters.

The intermediate treatment, corresponding to a medium EC level (between a lower and a higher nutrient concentration management), showed the best overall performance in terms of production variables. Regarding quality, the authors report no significant differences in the evaluated parameters, although they did observe variations in compounds associated with nutritional quality according to the fertilization regime, providing a useful reference for calibrating fertigation strategies in soilless systems.

© Projar

4) Physical quality: foliar silicon and mechanical resistance of the fruit

An article in Agronomy, developed at the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences (Poland), evaluated foliar fertilization with silicon and its effect on mechanical quality attributes, incorporating spraying variables such as nozzles, speed and pressure.

The study links coverage and deposition with changes in fruit firmness and mechanical resistance, and reports ranges associated with manual harvesting. Its applied value lies in connecting the application technique with its effect on physical damage and fruit condition.

5) Global overview of R&D: trends and organization of the scientific field

A review article in Horticulturae, developed by Universidad Industrial de Santander (IPRED) and AGROSAVIA (Centro de Investigación Tibaitatá), analyzed 474 documents indexed in Scopus between 1987 and 2025.

More than an operational recommendation, it provides an X-ray of the scientific field of blueberryIt organizes trends, leadership, and thematic lines, useful for guiding collaborations and technology transfer between academia and the productive sector.

6) Management of Drosophila suzukii in organic farming: exclusion nets and cost/benefit analysis

An article in Pest Management Science evaluated the economic performance of using exclusion nets as an alternative to organic insecticide-based programs for the management of spotted-wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) in organic systems blueberry in New York, with the participation of a team associated with Cornell University.

The study compares the costs and returns of both strategies. In the reported baseline scenario, the use of netting was associated with an estimated revenue increase of US$1.856 per acre and a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 1,115, in addition to a favorable cumulative cash flow by the third year, with variations depending on the sales channel and price in the scenarios evaluated.

© Blueberries Consulting

Access in the Studies section

The documents are available in the section Blueberries Consulting StudiesTo access each file, enter your email address in the corresponding field and enable the download. Each field includes a summary of the content and a link to the PDF. The repository is constantly updated with new publications.

Read also:

• Blueberry science is growing and shaping the sector's innovation map
• Applied research in blueberries: new studies now available for download at Blueberries Consulting
• Blueberry: Four applied studies are now available for download from Blueberries Consulting
• New Rabbiteye blueberry variety aims to push past known limits (includes mention of the Studies section as further exploration)
• The decline in bees and other pollinators threatens crop yields in the US (broad context for the pollination block)