Proceedings of the Ninth North American Blueberry Research and Extension Workers Conference

Improve yield and quality to give consumers the best blueberries on the market!

Proceedings of the 9th North American Blueberry Research and Extension Workers Conference presents the current status of the blueberry industry and recent developments in the biology, breeding, and production of blueberries throughout all of North America. In this extensive transcript of the conventionwhich occurred in Halifax, Nova Scotia, during the summer of 2002experts have contributed the most cutting-edge research on the commercial production of the blueberry, specifically focusing on increasing crop yield and fruit quality through various techniques and strategies. With original studies and experimental trials in such important issues as soil amendment, fertilizer, and weed control, this book is a valuable resource for anyone involved in the industry.

With this book, you?ll learn a variety of ways to influence:

• the mineral nutrition of blueberries
• blueberry diseases and pathology
• insect control
• blueberry flower bud development
• the length of time between harvest and the storage, processing, and marketing of blueberries

Specifically, these proceedings introduce such recent and ongoing research on blueberries as:

• a possible sexual function specialization in the lowbush blueberry
• chilling requirement studies
• effects of sunlight or shade on maturity and optical density
• screenhouse evaluations of the Mason Bee Osmia ribifloris as a pollinator in the Southeastern United States
• efficient mowing for pruning wild blueberry fields
• and much more!

With over 35 different studies on blueberries from planting to postharvesting, you?ll gain an extraordinary amount of knowledge and methodology to expand upon in your own work. The text comes complete with tables, graphs, figures, and photos, providing you with valuable visual aids. Whether you are a producer, marketer, or researcher, this book will be an asset to your professional knowledge.

Introduction to the Proceedings of the Ninth North American Blueberry Research and Extension Workers Conference (Charles F. Forney and Leonard J. Eaton),, Application of Paper Mill Biosolids, Wood Ash and Ground Bark on Wild Lowbush Blueberry Production (J. Lafond),, The Wild Blueberry IndustryPast (George W. Wood),, Soil and Plant Response to MSW Compost Applications on Lowbush Blueberry Fields in 2000 and 2001 (P. R. Warman, C. J. Murphy, J. C. Burnham, and L. J. Eaton),, Factors Contributing to the Increase in Productivity in the Wild Blueberry Industry (David E. Yarborough),, Lowbush Blueberry ( Vaccinium angustifolium ) with Irrigated and Rain-Fed Conditions (R. M. Seymour, Gordon Starr, and David E. Yarborough),, GypsumAn Alternative to Chemical Fertilizers in Lowbush Blueberry Production (Kevin R. Sanderson and Leonard J. Eaton),, The Economics of Supplemental Irrigation on Wild Blueberries: A Stochastic Cost Assessment (Timothy J. Dalton and David E. Yarborough),, Diammonium Phosphate Application Date Affects Vaccinium angustifolium Ait. Nutrient Uptake and Yield (John M. Smagula, W. Litten, and K. Loennecker),, Effects of Salt Deposition from Salt Water Spray on Lowbush Blueberry Shoots (Leonard J. Eaton, Kevin R. Sanderson, and Jeff Hoyle),, Main and Interactive Effects of Vegetative-Year Applications of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium Fertilizers on the Wild Blueberry (David Percival and Kevin Sanderson),, Efficient Mowing for Pruning Wild Blueberry Fields (Leonard J. Eaton, Robbie W. Glen, and J. Doug Wyllie),, Effect of Soil Calcium Applications on Blueberry Yield and Quality (Eric J. Hanson and Steven F. Berkheimer),, Effect of In-Row Spacing and Early Cropping on Yield and Dry Weight Partitioning of Three Highbush Blueberry Cultivars the First Two