Blackberry Tissue
Analysis
Monitoring Nutritional Status
in New Cultivars
David H. Hardy for BRC
Plant, Waste and Solution Section
NCDA&CS Agronomic Division
Blackberry Acreage in NC

1999: < 100 acres

2002: about 150 acres

2006: SunnyRidge Farm, Inc., indicated
desire to expand production by 5-700 A

Blackberry and raspberry

2009: about 400 acres

Future growth still expected
Blackberries – Yum!!!
Blackberry (Rubus)


Perennial root; biennial shoots

Primocane is vegetative; 1st year growth
(no flowers or fruit)

Floricane is reproductive; 2nd year growth
flowers, fruits then dies and is pruned out
Erect, semi-erect, trailing, semi-trailing
New Cultivars

Erect and semi-erect

Thornless

Different harvest times

Navaho, Ouachita (others include
Apache, Chester, Hull, Triple Crown,
Arapaho, Chickasaw, Kiowa & Choctaw)
Cultivars suited to NC are currently being developed.
Cultivar Characteristics

Navaho






Erect
Univ. Arkansas
Thornless
Mid-late season
Med-high yield
Great postharvest
shelf life (PHSL)

Ouachita






Erect
Univ. Arkansas
Thornless
High yields
Big berries, great
flavor
Good PHSL
NC State University, AG 697-W, 2008
New Fertilization Practices

Currently, growers are more likely to
spoon-feed soluble fertilizer through
drip tape in addition to broadcasting
or banding fertilizer.
New Fertilizer Recommendations
For mature blackberries: 60–80 lb N

Spring: drip a total of 50 lb N
 15 lb N March 1
 10 lb N March 15, April 1, and April 15
 5 lb N early May


Post harvest: apply remainder of N
Fall: no nitrogen; lime and nonnitrogenous fertilizers as needed
NCDA&CS Recommendations

Developed primarily for trailing
blackberry

Provided micronutrient
recommendations
Current Lime & Fertilizer

Lime to pH 6.0

March: Apply 40 lb N, 40 lb
P2O5, 80 lb K20

July: Apply 60–80 lb N
Current NCDA&CS
Sufficiency Ranges for Blackberry
(for trailing blackberry, primocane, mid season)
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
3.0–4.0%
0.2–0.6%
Potassium
2.5–3.5%
Calcium
0.5–1.0%
Magnesium
0.2–0.4%
Sulfur
0.2–0.6%
Sufficiency Ranges from Clark
NABGA (1997)



Developed for newer
cultivars
Collected from the
primocane in August
(or 2 weeks post
harvest)
30–60 most recently
mature leaves
Nitrogen
2.4–2.9%
Phosphorus
>0.15%
Potassium
1.0–2.0%
Calcium
>0.5%
Magnesium
>0.3%
Sulfur
>0.13%
Iron
>50 ppm
Manganese
>50 ppm
Zinc
>20 ppm
Copper
>7 ppm
Boron
30–50 ppm
2006

July, Bramble Production Workshop
with SunnyRidge Farm, Inc.

November, Bramble Discussion with
Gina Fernandez, David Hardy and
Brenda Cleveland

Update recommendations for new
cultivars and production practices
We want big, sweet, berries
with great shelf life
How Should We Start?


Develop a baseline of plant sufficiency
ranges

Focus on primocane, post harvest

Stabilized, stored N (Bernadine & Strik, 2008)
Follow with fertilization tests
Plant Tissue Analysis—2007 & 2008


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Canes (2)
Growth stage (4)
Cultivars (2)
Locations (from eastern to western NC)
Most recently mature leaves (MRML)

2007 Easter Freeze
Cane

Primocane is vegetative; 1st year
growth (no flowers or fruits)

Floricane is reproductive; 2nd year
growth flowers, fruits then dies and is
pruned out
CSIRO Australia
by peterb
Growth Stages

Early (E): pre bloom

Bloom (B): full bloom

Fruit (F): ripe or harvesting fruit

Mature (M): 2 weeks post harvest
Sample Type

Predictive – monitor nutritional status

Diagnostic – verify if problems are related
to poor nutritional status
Locations
Coastal Plain, east & west Piedmont & Mountain

Cleveland: 2 Commercial Growers

Granville: Oxford Tobacco Research Station

Henderson: 1 Commercial Grower
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Lincoln: 4 Commercial Growers

Nash: 1 Commercial Grower

Rowan: Piedmont Research Station
Cooperating Growers

Soil pH ranged from 6-6.5

Good fertilization practices

Tissue samples collected from healthy
canes that were not stressed
Samples Collected
Navaho
Ouachita
Floricane Primocane Floricane Primocane
49
46
49
48
Tissue Sample Results
Average macronutrients concentrations
(N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S)
2008 Average Nitrogen
4.5
Navaho-P
Ouachita-P
Navaho-F
Ouachita-F
4
3.5
%N 3
2.5
2
N>2.4-2.9%
Clark 1997
1.5
Early
Bloom
Fruit
Growth Stage
PostHarvest
2008 Average Phosphorus
0.30
Navaho-P
0.28
Ouachita-P
0.25
Navaho-F
Ouachita-F
0.23
0.20
%P
0.18
0.15
0.13
P>0.15%
Clark 1997
0.10
Early
Bloom
Fruit
Growth Stage
PostHarvest
2008 Average Potassium
1.2
Navaho-P
Ouachita-P
Navaho-F
Ouachita-F
1.1
1
0.9
0.8
%K
0.7
0.6
0.5
K>1.0-2.0%
Clark 1997
0.4
Early
Bloom
Fruit
Growth Stage
PostHarvest
2008 Average Calcium
1.2
1.1
1
0.9
0.8
% Ca 0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
Navaho-P
Ouachita-P
Navaho-F
Ouachita-F
Early
Bloom
Fruit
Growth Stage
PostHarvest Ca>0.5%
Clark 1997
2008 Average Magnesium
0.55
Navaho-P
Ouachita-P
Navaho-F
Ouachita-F
0.5
0.45
% Mg 0.4
0.35
0.3
0.25
Early
Bloom
Fruit
Growth Stage
PostHarvest
Mg>0.3%
Clark 1997
2008 Average Sulfur
0.25
Navaho-P
0.23
Ouachita-P
Navaho-F
0.20
Ouachita-F
% S 0.18
0.15
0.13
0.10
Early
Bloom
Fruit
Growth Stage
PostHarvest
S>0.13%
Clark 1997
Summary & Direction
Range (min/max) of Nutrient Concentrations in
the Post Harvest Primocane Samples
Nutrient
% concentration
(baseline study)
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Potassium
Calcium
Magnesium
Sulfur
2.0-3.3
0.13 – 0.26
0.5 – 1.3
0.3 – 1.0
0.25 – 0.50
0.13 – 0.20
Average Nutrient Concentrations in
the Post Harvest Primocane Samples
Nutrient
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Potassium
Calcium
Magnesium
Sulfur
% concentration
% concentration
(baseline study)
(Clark, U. Ark, 1997)
2.4 – 2.9
0.17 – 0.18
0.77 – 0.84
0.51 – 0.68
0.30 – 0.38
0.15 – 0.15
2.4 – 2.9
>0.15
1.0 – 2.0
>0.5
>0.3
>0.13
In the Future

Fertilization research

Develop soil fertility recommendations to optimize yield of
new cultivars

Develop new plant tissue sufficiency ranges


continue baseline study (2009)
cultivars differences

which canes/growth stages predict fertilizer needs

fine-tune nutrient management