Effects of Soil pH and Fertilizers on Haskap (Lonicera caerulea L.) Vegetative Growth

Abstract

Haskap (Lonicera caerulea L.) is a new northern latitude fruit crop that is increasing in popularity. This sudden enthusiasm for haskap increases the need for obtaining baseline knowledge related to establishing it as a crop, such as its optimal soil pH and fertilizer needs. In a greenhouse, one-year-old haskap plants (cultivar: Indigo Treat©) were grown in a local loamy sand. We assessed the impact of pH and fertilizer on haskap vegetative growth through an experiment involving four soil pH and five fertilization treatments of three N sources (ammonium, nitrate, and organic (chicken manure)). Leaf senescence as well as above-ground and root biomass were recorded after 19 weeks of vegetative growth. For cultivar Indigo Treat©, optimal vegetative growth was observed under slightly acidic soil conditions (pHCaCl2 5.5–6 or pHwater 5.9–6.5) without application of N. Phosphorus and K fertilizers did not influence vegetative growth. We here discuss the implications for establishing haskap orchards.

Astragalus-cultivated soil was a suitable bed soil for nurturing Angelica sinensis seedlings from the rhizosphere microbiome perspective

“…The pH is one of the most important soil properties. Many studies have shown that soil pH is a major driver for the assembly of soil bacterial and fungal microbiotas 60 – 62 . Soil pH was the major driver in the early growth stage, which should be an important factor to be considered when choosing the bed soil for the seedling growth.…”

“…Soil pH was the major driver in the early growth stage, which should be an important factor to be considered when choosing the bed soil for the seedling growth. For example, soil pH was assessed in the farmland of tomato 63 , maize 64 and haskap 60 . In our study, only the pH of astragalus-cultivated soils was shown to be closely connected to the bacterial and fungal microbiotas, as confirmed by Mantel test and Envfit test.…”