Factors Contributing to the Increase in Productivity in the Wild Blueberry Industry

摘要

Wild blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait.) arc unique in that they are commercially grown in the State of Maine in the United Slates and in Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces of Canada. Approximately half the crop is grown in Maine and the remainder from Canada. The wild blueberry crop has increased by an average of 2.3 million kg each year over the last 20 years and now averages over 68.2 million kg per year. Since 1980, approximately 4050 new ha added in Maine, and over 6073 ha have been addedin New Brunswick and Nova Scotia; PEI has also developed more than 1620 new ha. However, most of the gains in yield have come from improved management of the fields. Prc-emergence weed control with the herbicides terbacil and hexazinone in the 1980s provided a release from the weed competition, and immediately doubled yields on many fields. It also allowed for improved fertility management and the increased use of bees for pollination which resulted in even more production. Good disease and pest controlusing integrated pest management keeps crop losses from pests to a minimum. Recently, in Maine, there has been an investment in use of irrigation, with approximately 3,000 ha of in-ground irrigation and 850 ha of above-ground irrigation now in use. Recent research has shown a 43% increase in yield with irrigation. All of these factors have combined to produce a three fold increase in the wild blueberry crop over the past 20 years. Mechanical harvesting has increased but is only used on a small percentage of the Maine crop, whereas more than half of the Canadian crop is harvested mechanically. This contributes to the efficiency of production since it reduces the cost of the most expensive production practice.