Can the Firmness, Weight, and Size of Blueberry Fruit Be Enhanced through the Application of Low Amounts of Calcium to the Soil?

Abstract

Background: The firmness, weight, and size of blueberries are vital for commercial success of this crop. Fertilization is a key agronomic management practice that affects fruit quality, where calcium (Ca) plays a critical role. This study aimed to assess the impact of low levels of soil-dosed Ca in carboxylic acid form on fruit size, weight, firmness, and residual soil fertility. Methods: The study focused on two varieties of blueberries, Duke and Legacy, over two consecutive growing seasons on three commercial farms located in south-central Chile. This study consisted of five treatments, ranging from 0 to 4.0 kg Ca per hectare. Results: The highest firmness values observed for Duke were between 164 and 186 g mm−1, with size values ranging from 15.7 to 16.9 mm, and weight observations ranging from 1.60 to 1.76 g. On the other hand, Legacy showed firmness values between 163 and 173 g mm−1, with size values ranging from 16.2 to 17.2 mm, and weight observations ranging from 2.01 to 2.40 g. Conclusion: The application of low Ca rates to the soil did not impact the size, weight, or firmness of ‘Duke’ and ‘Legacy’ blueberries. There was a positive correlation between the Ca soil application and the concentration of exchangeable Ca.

Effect of calcium on fruit quality: A review

“…In strawberries, the diameter increases (Hussein & Al-Doori, 2021), and in apples, the fresh mass and diameter increases following by applications of CaCl 2 (Ranjbar et al, 2020). In contrast, Hirzel (2023) find that, for Ca applications ranging between 0 and 4 kg ha -1 , the size and mass of blueberry fruits are not affected; similarly, Yu et al (2020) show that the application of Ca did not significantly affect the diameter of grapefruits.…”

Use of increasing rates of ammonia nitrogen in pot-grown blueberries and its effect on fruit yield and macronutrient concentration in leaves

“…Nutritional management both in soil and in soilless medium can affect the quality attributes of blueberry fruit, mainly firmness, size, weight, and total soluble solids (Retamales et al, 2014;Strik et al, 2017;Hirzel et al, 2023;Hirzel, 2024). Considering that the production of blueberries in pots with substrate is a technique in development worldwide and that nutritional management is one of the practices that affects the productivity and nutrition of the plants, the hypothesis of this work is that the use increasing doses of ammoniacal N in different blueberry cultivars will affect yield, quality of fruit, and nutritional concentration in leaves.…”