Blueberries

Project Title: ‘Off-Season Production of Blueberries’

 

Abstract

There is year-round demand for fresh blueberries.  The highest prices of the year occur from late September until mid-May highest since fruit is imported from South America. Traditionally, the earliest blueberry harvests begin in mid-May in Mississippi and prices for the crop are high but decrease rapidly.  High tunnel production of blueberries represents a opportunity for Mississippi growers to advance their harvest season into highly profitable off-season market. The trials being established will evaluate critical aspects of blueberry production including:  1) Production cycle of fresh market blueberries under covered field tunnels compared to open-field culture and 2) Identification of the most suitable cultivars under high tunnel growing conditions for the early spring market window.   In the third year of the project a field day will be held to highlight the project.

 Project Purpose

There is a highly profitable market for blueberries in the off-season from September through mid-May.  Fruit is currently imported into the United States from the southern hemisphere at extremely high prices during this time period.  High tunnel production of blueberries represents an opportunity for Mississippi growers to expand production into this time frame.

Normally blueberry plants need to undergo a yearly cycle of summer vegetative growth and flower bud development, winter chilling, followed by flowering and fruiting in spring and early summer.  However, unique blueberry cultivars from the breeding programs of University of Florida and the USDA show promise for production in the off-season. These cultivars have exhibited the ability to flower and fruit with exposure to a reduced chilling period (low-chill).   ‘Low-chill’ plants have been bred to require a low amount of exposure to temperatures 45 °F and below, and have therefore met their chilling by late December - January.  Once this chilling requirement has been met, plants growing in a high tunnel could be forced into bloom by closing up the tunnel and allowing the temperature to build up naturally. 

By forcing the plants into earlier bloom, the harvest period would be moved up in time also.  The primary goal of this project is to move the harvest into the period where market prices are at their highest peak.

Potential Impact

By bringing blueberries into production earlier season would allow growers: 1) to have additional income at premium prices.  On April 13, 2009 blueberries were selling at $37 for a flat of 12, 4.4 oz cups.  By May 13, when early season blueberries in Mississippi were being harvested, the price had dropped to $24 a flat.

2) to help maintain or capture market share.  When a grower gets established in an early market, vendors will often continue to purchase from them even when other sellers become available.

3) in the event of frost, high tunnels would potentially save crop.  Early and mid-April frosts in 2008 and 2009 reduced blueberry yield in Mississippi by 30 – 100%

Expected Measurable Outcomes

The Goal of this project is to determine cultural practices necessary for the off-season production of blueberries in Mississippi.  Specifically we wish to:

1) Determine production cycles of fresh market blueberries under high tunnels compared to open-field culture

2) Identify the most suitable ‘low chill’ varieties’ for the early market window.  It is important to identify the varieties which respond well to management in the high tunnels before promoting this concept to growers.

The target of this project is to provide information to Mississippi blueberry growers on the potential of off-season income produced by blueberries grown in high tunnels.  Ideally the acreage of the crop grown under high tunnels will increase and Mississippi blueberry grower will gain financially.