Is fall burning preferable to spring burning for promoting growth characteristics favorable for mechanical harvesting in Vaccinium myrtilloides Michaux?

Citation
Sp. Vander Kloet et J. Pither, Is fall burning preferable to spring burning for promoting growth characteristics favorable for mechanical harvesting in Vaccinium myrtilloides Michaux?, HORTSCIENCE, 35(4), 2000, pp. 608-610
Citations number
14
Categorie Soggetti
Plant Sciences
Journal title
HORTSCIENCE
ISSN journal
00185345 → ACNP
Volume
35
Issue
4
Year of publication
2000
Pages
608 - 610
Database
ISI
SICI code
0018-5345(200007)35:4<608:IFBPTS>2.0.ZU;2-L
Abstract
Periodic prescribed burns of lowbush blueberry barrens pr omote high yield, aid in weed control, and reduce fungal and insect damage. Whether such pre scribed fires should be set in the autumn or the spring has been a matter o f some dispute. Previous research on Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton suggeste d some advantages to autumnal burning, but few data have been collected on V. myrtilloides Michaux, To evaluate whether time of burning affected plant qualities most favorable for mechanical harvesting, such as stem length an d lateral branching, a series of experiments was conducted on V. myrtilloid es. Differences in stem length, numbers of lateral branches, and bads per s tem were nonsignificant among plants burned in fall vs. those burned in spr ing. Pn three of four experiments, however, fall burns resulted in the grow th of fewer lateral branches. Furthermore, among the four experiments, grow th responses were more uniform following fall than following spring burns. We therefore suggest that, where possible, fall burns should be prescribed for blueberry plants that will be mechanically harvested.