Blueberries

Blueberry articles written by members of the Southern Region Small Fruit Consortium. More information on Blueberry crops.

 

  • The Mississippi State University Extension Service will be hosting two workshops for blueberry growers in 2024 — an in-person workshop in Hattiesburg, Mississippi on February 8 and a virtual workshop on February 15.

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  • Example of confocal microscopy work on internal flesh quality

    Postharvest physiology is key to maintaining the shelf-life of small fruits and reducing food loss. Typically, research deals with the plant and fruit’s response to different technologies and applications that increase quality and delay senescence (decomposition). Fruit quality is a major component of postharvest physiology as it relates to consumer acceptance.

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  • Dr. Adhikari from LSU AgCenter giving a demonstration of different water treatment systems using a mobile water treatment unit. (Photo by Juan Moreira)

    Water is an essential resource for small fruit growers, as it is crucial for irrigation and post-harvest activities. In this article, we will provide an overview of various options available to commercial small fruit growers, as well as other measures to improve water quality.

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  • Blueberry production in the Southern United States is greatly challenged by diseases like Botryosphaeria stem blight, which is caused by fungi pathogens in the family of Botryosphaeriaceae. Botryosphaeria stem blight can cause sudden wilting and chlorosis of leaves and stems, and in severe cases plant death.

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  • Botrytis cinerea is a fungus that causes disease in many crops. Most notably, it causes gray mold of strawberry and Botrytis bunch rot of grape. On strawberries, infection can occur at bloom, while disease symptoms appear at fruit ripening or post-harvest.

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  • Organic fungicides are non-conventional products that are listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute and are generally accepted by organic reviewers as qualifying for use in organic production systems. The products evaluated in these blueberry trials include oils, plant or bacterial extracts, or biological control agents (microorganisms) as their active ingredient. 

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  • Results of field studies conducted on southern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) in North Carolina to determine tolerance of younger and older bearing blueberry bushes to 2,4-D choline POST-directed.

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  • Blueberries

    The Mississippi State University Extension Service will be hosting two workshops for blueberry growers in 2023. An in-person workshop on January 24th and a virtual workshop on January 26th.

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  • Arkansas Grown Conference

    The Arkansas Grown Conference and Expo will be held January 25-28, 2023 in Little Rock at the Embassy Suites.

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  • Newly released rabbiteye blueberry cultivar ‘Krewer’ with improved characteristics grown at the CREC, Alabama, 2021

    Elina Coneva1, Ebrahiem Babiker2, Eric Stafne3, Sushan Ru1, Melba Salazar-Gutierrez1, Camila Rodrigues1, and Edgar Vinson1, 1Auburn University, 2USDA-ARS, 3MSU ‘Titan’ and ‘Krewer’ (Fig. 1 A,B) are two new blueberry cultivar releases from the University of Georgia breeding program are reported to produce large berries. Their fruit size is reported to be twice as large as…

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