Trellising Systems for Caneberries: Options & Economics David W. Lockwood Univ. of TN Miguel Ahumada Sun Belle

I - Trellis Trellising Systems for Caneberries: Options & Economics David W. Lockwood Univ. of TN Miguel Ahumada Sun Belle T- Trellis Rotating Crossarm Trellis

Caneberry Fruiting Floricane-bearing 1 st year: Vegetative growth of cane 2 nd year: Flowering & fruiting Cane death (most varieties of blackberries, black & purple raspberries, some red & yellow raspberries) Primocane-bearing 1 st year: Bear fruit in upper ⅓ to ½ of cane in late summer & fall Fruiting portion of cane dies in fall 2 nd year: Lower portion of cane fruits Entire cane dies after fruiting

Blackberry Growth Habit Erect Semi-Erect Trailing Apache Chester Boysenberry Navaho Natchez Youngberry Ouachita Triple Crown Marionberry Osage

Functions of the Trellis The trellis is a long-term investment. It should be built to last the life of the vineyard Support the vine and the crop Expose fruit and foliage to sunlight Open canopy to air movement and spray penetration Facilitate ease of vineyard operations Pruning, thinning, pest control, harvest *for trailing & semi-erect cultivars, trellising is necessary to keep the fruit off the ground

Factors influencing training system & trellis design to be used in the vineyard Type of Caneberry Vine spacing (inrow & between row) Row orientation Soil fertility Management capabilities Available labor (both the amount & capabilities) Establishment costs Equipment requirement Mechanization?

Trailing Blackberry Primocanes allowed to grow on the ground during summer Trained to the trellis in the fall in milder regions or Left on the ground over winter & trained to the trellis in spring 2-Wire Trellis

Erect Varieties, No Trellis Tip primocanes low (3 to 4 ft.)

Erect & Semi-Erect Blackberries Primocanes tipped @ 5 to 5 ½ ft. need support

1 st year Semi-erect varieties appear to be trailing during first years Pomper et al. 2 nd year

Single wire trellis

Supported Hedgerow Trellis 3 4 ft. 1½ - 2 ft. Kathy Demchak

I-Trellis Advantages: Least expensive Easiest to train labor to use Disadvantages: Intermingling of primocanes & floricanes Shading reduces yield & quality, increases pest pressure Harvest & removal of spent floricanes more difficult

4 6 ft. V Trellis 6 ft. 3 ft. Kathy Demchak

T or Lincoln Trellis 6 ft. 3 4 ft. 6 ft. Kathy Demchak

T ( Y or V ) Trellis Advantages: Separation of floricanes & primocanes Better light, air & spray penetration Easier harvest & pruning Disadvantages: More costly to build & maintain Needs more skilled labor

RCA (Rotating Crossarm Arm) Trellis Winter: Rotate to ground, cover canes with mulch or snow During flowering: Position trellis horizontally, all fruiting laterals grow up toward sun When fruit is set & starts to grow, move to 1 o clock position so all fruit is on 1 side & not fully exposed to the sun Trellis Growing Systems

Rotating Crossarm Trellis Advantages: Winter protection of canes with snow, mulch or row covers Separation of primocanes & floricanes Disadvantages: High cost Labor (skill & amount)

Rotating Crossarm Trellis

Gina Fernandez Shift Trellis

Cane Development Fewer canes results in lower yields and higher quality fruit Increasing cane numbers results in diminishing quality and yields Yields respond positively to increasing light availability, particularly lower in the canopy Shortening canes increases fruit size and lowers yields Spreading the canopy enhances light availability and increases fruit yields per length of row, but requires more space Pritts, 2000

Trellis Tips Row Orientation: North/South gives better light exposure within the canopy Trellis height: Higher trellis gives better air circulation around canopy Less disease pressure Ease of management Divided canopy ( T, V & Y trellises) vs. Single Curtain Separation of primocanes & floricanes gives better light, air & spray penetration, ease of management

Tip Primocanes Remove Floricanes Annual Pruning Sequence for floricane-bearing caneberries Lateral Branching Summer Winter Floricanes bloom, Fruit & die Head Laterals. Remove laterals on lower 12 18 of canes. Remove excess Canes, thin rows

Primocane Fruiting Blackberries Initiate flower buds on terminal 1/3 to 1/2 of the primocane during 1st summer & fruit that fall Lower 1/2 to 2/3 portion of cane overwinters & produces a summer crop the 2nd year (also called everbearing or fall-fruiting) often grown for fall crop only

Primocane Crop Only Primocane Harvest Allow Primocanes to grow. Maintain row width 12 18 in. Mow planting to ground in late winter

Advantages of Single Cropping System - Raspberry Cane thinning & detailed pruning & tying eliminated Cold injury of buds eliminate Winter damage from rabbits or voles eliminated Spur blight, anthracnose, cane blight & some other diseases & insects reduced Application of fertilizers, herbicides easier Can delay fruiting by mowing primocanes when ~ 1 ft. high

Trellising Primocane-Bearing Caneberries If growing for both the fall crop & the following summer crop, use trellises similar to those outlined previously (single wire, supported hedgerow) If growing for the fall crop only, use the supported hedgerow trellis with: Twine instead of wire Removable posts (this will allow the planting to be mowed off in winter)

Temporary trellis for primocane fruiting raspberry Eames-Sheavly & Pritts, 1995

Special Thanks To: M. Bolda, M. Gaskell, E. Mitchum, & M. Cahn. Caneberry Production Manual. Univ. of CA. Pb3525 Kathy Demchak. Pruning and Trellising Brambles. Penn State Univ. Gina Fernandez. Blackberry Pruning in North Carolina, CEFS 2012. Kirk Pomper. Kentucky State University. Marvin Pritts. Pruning Raspberries and Blackberries. NY Berry News, Vol. 8 (4), 2009.

Trellising and Fruit Quality Miguel Ahumada M.Sc. Sun Belle Inc.

Sun Belle began 30 years ago representing growers in VA Global brand, year round availability: raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, and currants Four distribution center: Chicago IL, Jessup MD, Miami FL, Los Angeles, CA

Raspberry Yield Components Canes per foot Fruiting laterals per cane Fruit per lateral Fruit number and size

Structural support Wind Load Breakage Training Allows larger framework Cultural effects Density Vigor Pests Diseases Harvest speed Fruit quality Nehrbas & Pritts 1988 b

Summary of Trellising Effects Lower density increases marketable fruit Higher density reduced marketable fruit Open canopy increases light availability More light in lower canopy increases yield Shorter canes increase fruit size, lower yield Pritts, 2000

Where does most photosynthesis happen? Height from ground (in) Leaf Fluorescence (Fu/Fm) CO2 Assimilation (umol/m2/s) Stomata conductance (mmol/m2/s) 15.7 0.69 a 5.7 29.4 31.5 0.70 a 6 25.2 47.2 0.65 b 4.8 18.4 P-value <0.0001 0.43 0.17 Carbon Dioxide Enrichment May Increase Yield of Field-grown Red Raspberry under High Tunnels. Mochizuki et al 2010

Most active photosynthesis takes place 15 to 40 inches above ground in raspberries

Plant Architecture, Day Length & Temperature Sønsteby & Heide 2009

Plant Architecture and Fruiting in primocane raspberries Carew et al. 2000

Where does yield potential go?

What happens at 15 to 40 inches above ground? Botrytis Flower abortion Cane botrytis

What happens at 15 to 40 inches above ground? Downy mildew/antracnose Red berry mite

Trellis System: Hedgerow ADVANTAGES Easy to build and maintain Lower cost $1,885 /ac 2011Safley et. all. $ 2,582/ac 2013 UC Davis cost study $ 2,909/ac 2013 Hanson et al. DISADVANTAGES High shading, depending row spacing Poor air circulation Intermingling of canes Crowded canopy

Trellis System: Modified Hedgerow

Trellis System: V ADVANTAGES Good light penetration Increased vigor and yield More lateral growth in/outward DISADVANTAGES Higher cost More lateral growth inward $3,105 /ac. 2012 UC Davis cost study $3,860/ac. 2011 Safley et al.

Trellis System: V on blackberries

Trellis System: modified V closed V, open V (AV), T 20 Numbers of wires? Numbers of locks for open-close stakes? Position of the drip tape? Bed size? TC, dormant plants or roots?

Trellis System: Modified V More canopy More competition More yield

Trellis Effect on Yield, Fruit Size, Fruit Numbers System Yield (Kg/m 2 ) Fruit size (g) Fruit (n/canes) Fruit (n/m 2 ) Hedge row 1997 1998 1997 1998 1997 1998 1997 1998 2.8 6.1 b 3.2 3.2 53 a 83 b 1143 a 1509 b Shift 2.0 3.6 c 3.3 3.3 37 b 51 c 723 b 875 c V trellis 3.0 7.3 a 3.3 3.3 56 a 103 a 1144 a 1817 a P 0.239 <0.001 0.208 0.194 0.014 <0.001 0.005 0.0016 Vanden Heuvel et all. 2000

Trellis System: Shift

Estimated Construction Costs by Trellis System Safley, et. all 2011 System Equipment Material Labor Total T-Bar $3.86 $1,689 $190 $1,885 V- Metal $3.86 $3,503 $351 $3,860 T- Wood $258 $3,416 $947 $4,623 Shift $223 $4,220 $1,181 $5,740

Experimental Trellis: Double Curtain

Trellis System: Hedgerow w/weaving

Trellis System: Open and Closed V

Open & Closed V vs Plant Density Open V Closed V M. Ahumada, un-published data

Many options with V trellis

Questions. mahumada@sun-belle.com