Nutrient management for organic berry production Javier Fernandez-Salvador

Transcription

1 Nutrient management for organic berry production Javier Fernandez-Salvador Assistant Professor (Practice) Oregon State University. Small Farms Program OSU Extension Service, Marion County 1320 Capitol St NE, Suite 110. Salem, OR Tel:

2 Today s presentation Tools for your organic berry project: NRCS web soil survey Soil sampling and testing Land history and project map Berry fertility Understanding the crop: time of application and ph. Crop requirements: amount of fertilizer needed. Tissue sampling. Evaluating fertility program Organic fertilizers: sources of the nutrients to apply and method of application

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6 Chehalis Series The Chehalis series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in silty and loamy mixed alluvium. Chehalis soils are nearly level to undulating flood plains. The mean annual precipitation is about 50 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 52 degrees F. TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Cumulic Ultic Haploxerolls GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Chehalis soils are on flood plains at elevations of 30 to 1,600 feet. They formed in silty and loamy mixed alluvium. Slopes are 0 to 3 percent. These soils occur in a climate having cool, dry summers, and cool, wet winters. The average annual precipitation is 30 to 70 inches. The average January temperature is 39 to 40 degrees F. and the average July temperature is 64 to 67 degrees F. The mean annual temperature is 50 to 55 degrees F. The average frostfree season (32 degrees F) is 150 to 235 days. DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; slow runoff; moderate permeability. Chehalis soils are subject to occasional flooding for brief periods from November to April. USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used mostly for cropland, hay and pasture.native vegetation is Douglas fir, red alder, grand fir, western redcedar, bigleaf maple and Oregon oak with an understory of vine maple, trailing blackberry, western swordfern, western brackenfern, Oregon grape, wild ginger, violet, and western rattlesnake plantain.

7 Soil sampling: collect representative samples, based on crop and land history. Sample at 1.5 to 2 feet depth (in row) for caneberry and blueberry. Remove mulch. Same time of the year but not during fertilization

8 N Road Berries to hedgerow, 6 ft. Packing tent Hedgerow to boundary with filberts, 35 ft. Native hedgerow, 16 ft. wide Pump house Tool shed Worker Area Non-organic filberts, north of red line Non-organic hops, east of red line Organic vegetables, west of red line Berry Field Hedgerow to boundary with hops, 22 ft. Berries to veggies, 71 ft. Berries to hedgerow, 13 ft. Berries to veggies, 135 ft. Organic Farm: New Organic Berry Project Willows and native hedgerow, 11 ft. wide Native hedgerow, 8 ft. wide Space between hedgerows, 11 ft. Berries to hedgerow, 9 ft. Non-organic cover crop, south of red line

9 Section 1 Section 2 Section 3

10 Soil and tissue results

11 Understanding the crop: time of fertilizer application and ph

12 Organic Strawberries

13 Strawberries: Growing Systems 1. June Bearing - Matted row. Fertilize at renovation, when plants form flower buds for next year s crop. No fertilizer applications in the spring. More leaves but same yield and increased fruit rot.

14 June bearing strawberry renovation Photos: B. Strik Organic fertilizer preferred in liquid form and doled out. Solid fertilizers will take longer to become available to plant. Some growers spread pelletized fertilizer mixed with biologically active compost and irrigation.

15 2. Day Neutral. Plasticulture Hill System. In organic systems only 1 or 2 production seasons with the same plants are recommended for maximum yield. Solid fertilizer pre-planting only. Fertigate required amount, constantly and doled out during the entire fruiting season.

16 Caneberries In organic systems fertilize summer bearing cultivars (raspberry and blackberry) during the spring when fertilizers are being taken into the crow, floricanes, primocanes and into the fruit. Solid organic fertilizers better applied 1 or 2 times in early (end March) and late spring (end May or June). Liquid fertilizers can be applied from March until June. Divide the recommended amount in the number of desired applications.

17 Primocane fruiting raspberry In organic systems fertilize primocane fruiting raspberry with the required amount split between a solid fertilizer pre-planting in the spring and the rest in a liquid form, constantly and doled out during the entire fruiting season. This information is anecdotal from grower experiences and demo plantings and more research is needed.

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19 Blueberry In organic systems start fertilization in early bloom and finish in late June if using liquid fertilizers with a dolled out application regime. If using solid products apply the entire recommended amount in 1 or 2 applications before bloom or before bloom and early June.

20 Figure: B. Strik ph

21 Soil ph too high for organic blueberries (7 or close to neutral) = lime induced iron deficiency. Organic fertilization also lowers soil ph (every 100 lb N/acre/year drops soil ph 0.1 unit), just slowly than synthetic fertilizers. In perennial organic berry crops is hard to drastically manipulate ph with lime or sulfur once crop has been established.

22 Crop requirements: amount of fertilizer needed.

23 Adequate levels of SOIL nutrients for berry crops Source: Hart et al., 2006; Strik, 2014

24 Amend soil for adequate crop needs. Source: Hart et al., 2006; Strik, 2014

25 Evaluating fertility program Tissue testing Adjust fertility as needed next year Source: Hart et al., 2006; Strik, 2014

26 Results for tissue testing practices, organic blueberry survey. 5. Continuing evaluation of impact. Fernandez-Salvador,Strik, Stephenson 2016

27 When to test? Sample primocanes in raspberry and blackberry and shoots from 1 yr. old wood in blueberry Sample most recent fully expanded leaves Source: Hart et al., 2006; Strik, 2014

28 Organic fertilizers: sources of the nutrients to apply and method of application

29 Important considerations for choosing a fertilizer for your organic farm There is a wide range of material presentations Powders, granules, pellets liquids

30 Understanding an organic fertilizer label Compliance program seal(s) Basic standard of identity Total nitrogen (not available N NH4 or NO3) 7 Available phosphate (P 2 O 5 ) 1 Available potash (K 2 O) 2

31 1) Animal origin meals Organic Fertility Sources Blood Meal Bone Meal Feather meal Bone and meat meal Fish Meal

32 2) Manures of animal origin Raw Not for human consumption day rule Composted C:N ratio (25:1-40:1) 131 F and 170 F for 3 days OR 15days Processed 150 F for 1 hour or more and 12% moisture. Zero pathogen residue

33 3) Plant materials and meals Beet, roots and other pulps Alfalfa meal Cotton (seed meal or gin trash) Soybean meal Rice or grain meals/hulls

34 4) Minerals Rock phosphate (0-3 to 8-0) Potassium sulfate; SOP Magnesia (0-0-22) Muriate of potash KCl (0-0-60) Chilean nitrate (16-0-0)

35 5) Liquid organic fertilizers Animal based: fish, guanos, etc. Plant based: corn, soy solubles

36 Organic Fertilizer Variability (Data from 2011,2012, 2013 study) Pelletized, processed poultry litter poultry Pelletized soybean Fish hydrolysate and meal soy emulsion blend with added molasses fish Corn steep liquor and fish hydrolysate blend Rates: 1) 50 lb/acre N per year ( ). 2) 50 lb/acre N per year in and 80 lb/acre in 2013 Fernandez-Salvador,Strik, Bryla 2012, 2013

37 Target rate of 56 kg*ha -1 ( ) and 89 kg*ha -1 (2013)

38 Fertigation Study Impact of Liquid Fertilizers on Emitter Performance Fertigation Management in Organic Blackberry Fernandez-Salvador,Strik, Bryla 2013

39 Drip Performance: Treatments The impact of fertigation on drip system performance was evaluated with two maintenance options, flushing and no flushing of the drip lines for each of the two fertilizer sources.

40 Results Flow rates: 4.5% in the first year 19% in the second year No difference No difference

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42 Important fertilizer consideration N:P ratio in organic fertilizers Organic Fertilizers (%) Total N P 2 O 5 K 2 O Dairy manure & bedding Poultry manure & litter Pelleted chicken manure Composted poultry manure Composted dairy manure N P 2 O 5 K 2 O Mature Blueberry crop tons chicken manure Specialty Products Total N P 2 O 5 K 2 O Feather meal Blood meal Fish meal Soybean meal Sulfate of potash Muriate of potash Bone meal Rock phosphate Tables courtesy Nick Andrews OSU

43 OSU Organic Fertilizer and Cover Crop Calculator Source:

44 Thank you! Questions? 44 January 10, 2017