An impact of irrigation of selected varieties on highbush blueberry crop

The paperwork includes estimate of irrigation on yield effect of highbush blueberry. The research was conducted in 2014-2016, on a small plantation located in Przyczyna Górna, in the Wschowski county, in the Lubuskie Province. The plantation’s area was 800 m2. The article presents an analysis of five varieties of highbush blueberry: Patriot, Duke, Chandler, Elliott and Bluecrop. The frequency of irrigation and the amount of water supplied to the shrubs depended mainly on the distribution of atmospheric precipitation and the optimal humidity that the soil needs in growing blueberries. The need for irrigation was determined on the basis of soil water suction measurements using tensiometers. The shrubs were irrigated with a drip line with a spacing adjusted to the spacing of blueberry bushes. The annual dose of water used for irrigation were from 144 mm to 303 mm. The research showed that the average crop increase amounted to 167%, because of irrigation. In 2015, which was a wet year, the increase was 140% and in the average year (2014) was 193%. It was not connected only with amount of precipitation, but with the distribution of precipitation at growing season. The best yield was noted for Chandler (32% of yield), Patriot and Bluecrop (20%).