Increasing the Sustainability of Blueberry Production with Cover Crops

View the project report

Commodities

• Fruits: berries (blueberries)

Practices

• Crop Production: cover crops

The constant use of chemical fertilizer reduces soil health and quality, which in turn affects plant development, lowers productivity, increases susceptibility to pests and diseases, and decreases fruit quality. The goal of this project is to implement the use of cover crops in blueberry production. Despite the known benefits of cover crops, blueberry growers in the southeast have not yet incorporated cover crops into their production system. The use of cover crops is limited by the low soil pH and lack of knowledge regarding the management of cover crops in a warm and humid environment. The benefits of cover crops, which include increased soil organic matter, reduced erosion, weed suppression, and enhanced nutrient availability, are long known; however, their benefits for blueberry production in general and for southeastern blueberry production in particular remain understudied. Our project brings together a multidisciplinary team of scientists, extension specialists, and community organizations, which allows us to study the impact of cover crops from a whole systems perspective. In the first year, we will seek growers’ input by establishing a grower advisory board to help us identify cover crops that best fit blueberry production. We will establish a greenhouse experiment to identify the species of cover crops best suited for low pH conditions. Then, we will conduct on-farm trials across five locations in South Georgia to test the implementation of cover crops. We will strategically place this location in each of the largest producing counties. We will measure the impact of cover crops on soil quality and plant growth, yield, and weed  Additionally, production costs will be quantified to develop a cost-effective analysis of the use of cover crops. The analysis will focus on the financial benefits obtained in terms of increased profits and quality of life of farmers in South Georgia. The analysis will allow us to identify the environmental and economic sustainability of using cover crops. In the third year, we will work with the UGA extension and community organizations to promote the results of our research and the incorporation of cover crops in blueberry systems. We will develop workshops, field days, as well as agent and grower training materials. We expect that our collaboration with community organizations, small and minority grower’s involvement, will assure the adoption of cover crops by blueberry growers in the state of Georgia. Thus, a large number of blueberry producers will implement the use of cover crops, making the blueberry production system more sustainable.

Our overall objective is to incorporate cover crops in blueberry production systems. Our specific objectives include:

Objective 1. Identify suitable cover crops for blueberry production system in Georgia.

Objective 2. Develop the best management practices for the incorporation of cover crops in blueberry production system.

Objective 3. Determine the impact of cover crops in soil physicochemical properties.

Objective 4. Develop educational materials and promote the adoption of cover crops.