2011 Annual Report
1)develop weed management systems and determine the impact of in-row weed presence on plant growth, machine harvest efficiency, and fruit quality;.
2)study impact of machine-harvest on ‘Marion’ and ‘Black Diamond’ yield, quality, and cost of production;.
3)evaluate the incidence of cane disease (purple blotch and septoria);.
4)develop best fertigation practices for application of organic fertilizers; and.
5)determine the water requirements of ‘Marion’ and ‘Black Diamond’ blackberry and identify the effects of post-harvest irrigation on primocane growth, bud set, weed development, incidence of frost and disease damage, and flower and fruit production in each cultivar. The planting is well established, and data collection on the treatment effects on growth and nutrient allocation and plant and soil nutrient status have started. We are collecting data on plant and soil water status and are seeing treatment effects and are adjusting irrigation levels accordingly. We were not able to harvest fruit in 2011, as planned, due to insufficient growth. Based on input from our advisory committee, we cut off the primocanes in February 2011 to have the planting in an “off” year to better match industry practice.
Methods of project monitoring included meetings, e-mail, and phone calls.