The unique soil chemistry and climactic conditions present challenges for organic nutrient management in growing areas east of the Cascade Mountains. The overall goal of this research is to generate data-driven recommendations for organic nutrient management in the economically significant organic blueberry production area of eastern Washington.
Specific objectives guiding our current research are:
- Evaluate different available sources and rates of organic nitrogen fertilizer on plant growth and development, yield, fruit quality, and soil chemistry.
- Study the impacts of post-harvest nitrogen applications on plant growth, yield, fruit bud set, and cold hardiness in early-fruiting ‘Duke’ blueberry.
- Evaluate alternative sources of organic matter available to growers east of the Cascade Range.
- Test alternative amendments that can acidify soils east of the Cascade Range.
This project is in progress. The video below presents a progress reports of our current results and is presented by former MS graduate student, Amit Bhasin, at the 2019 Washington Small Fruit Conference.