Calcium Carbonate Can Be Used to Manage Soilless Substrate pH for Blueberry Production

Horticulturae

GerardoH. Nunez¹  MichaelJ. Schreiber¹ 

[1] Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA;

关键词: Vaccinium corymbosum;    container;    ammonium uptake;    southern highbush blueberry;   

DOI  :  10.3390/horticulturae7040074

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Blueberry (Vacciniumcorymbosum interspecific hybrids) production in soilless substrates is becoming increasingly popular. Soilless substrates have low pH buffering capacity. Blueberry plants preferentially take up ammonium, which acidifies the rhizosphere. Consequently, soilless substrates where blueberry plants are grown exhibit a tendency to get acidified over time. Agricultural lime (CaCO₃) is commonly used to raise soil and substrate pH in other crops, but it is rarely used in blueberry cultivation. We hypothesized that substrate amendment with low rates of agricultural lime increases substrate pH buffering capacity and provides nutritional cations that can benefit blueberry plants. We tested this hypothesis in a greenhouse experiment with ‘Emerald’ southern highbush blueberry plants grown in rhizoboxes filled with a 3:1 mix of coconut coir and perlite. We found that substrate amendment with CaCO₃ did not cause high pH stress. This amendment maintained substrate pH between 5.5 and 6.5 and provided Ca and Mg for plant uptake. When blueberry plants were grown in CaCO₃-amended substrate and fertigated with low pH nutrient solution (pH 4.5), they exhibited greater biomass accumulation than plants grown in unamended substrates. These results suggest that low rates of CaCO₃ could be useful for blueberry cultivation in soilless substrates.

【 授权许可】

Unknown