The irrigation plan, one of the pillars of the cultivation of blueberries
Knowing the amount of water needed by a blueberry plantation is one of the key points so that the harvest is optimal and delivers quality fruits. But how to know what are the necessary volumes of water resources that are going to be needed?
Dr. David Bryla, recognized by his scientific works carried out in favor of the fruit and vegetable industry, will be this 30 October andn Madrid, Spain, in the XIII International Seminar organized by our company Blueberries Consulting. In this opportunity, he will address the importance of irrigation planning in the development of blueberry cultivation. His extensive professional career, which now places him within the Research Service of the Department of Agriculture of the United States (USDA, for its acronym in English) shed light on their skills and knowledge in the field.
Topics such as the estimation of water requirements and the relationship of these with the growth and development in blueberry plants will also be part of the presentation of the American professor.
Dr. Bryla has focused much of his work on the subject of irrigation and crop fertigation. In fact, in portals such as Research Gate, his name stands out as the co-author of more than 100 published research.
One of the most recent in which Mr. Bryla is named is related to the suitability of certain substrates for the production of Highbush blueberry containers. Among them are mentioned organisms like Sphagnum Moss, Coir, and Douglas Fir Bark.
Published in December last year, the research focuses on the irrigation and incorporation of nutrients in the berry crops. The objective is to identify the practices that increase plant growth and yield potential.
Other recent work by Dr. Bryla is linked to issues such as chemigation with micronized sulfur, which he claims has the ability to reduce soil pH in a new planting of Northern Highbush Blueberry. The chemistry technique has the advantages of allowing the application of phytosanitary products directly at the foot of the plants (root zone) for a better use in less time, as well as allowing the rational use of water resources. Among its disadvantages can be mentioned its high cost in design and implementation.
Ideal method of irrigation
Recent theories and scientific studies argue that the demand for cranberry water depends on the area in which it is grown, as well as the age of the orchard and the density of plants in the field.
One point to take into account, cited by the magazine Del Campo, argues that they are needed between 6.000 and 10.000 m3 / ha. of the water resource. And what happens when blueberries are planted in areas where rainfall is a little more constant? Such is the case of the southern zone of Chile, where demand could decrease up to 4.000 m3 / ha of water, a factor that will depend on the record of falling water.
If the orchards in the north and center of the country are revised, the average figure of the need for irrigation is estimated at 6.000 m3 / ha, according to scientific studies, because there is a higher radioactive rate and, therefore, a higher greater evapotranspiration.
The drip has been described by several specialists as the ideal system for blueberry irrigation, since it adapts to the location of the roots and allows controlling the amount of water that enters the superficial and intermediate areas of the soil.
In this sense, it is ideal, then, to install drippers in double lines in each row of the plantation, in order to achieve a homogeneous moisture distribution in the soil profile, and thus in this way excess concentration could be avoided of this element on the surface.
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