Current Status of Blueberry Production in Florida Jeffrey G. Williamson Horticultural Sciences Dept. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences University of Florida

Blueberry Consumption (US) Data: USDA-NASS

BLUEBERRY PRODUCTION In Metric Tons/year Country 2006 2007 2008 USA 162,658 165,289 199,127 Canada 82,530 77,400 94,551 Poland 4,940 5,226 7,857 Lithuania 6,623 4,392 4,400 Germany 6,088 5,818 4,116 Romania 4,000 Netherlands http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/

CULTIVATED BLUEBERRY 2009 Harvested Acres Florida http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/

BLUEBERRIES IN FLORIDA Year Harvested acres Yield: lb/acre Grower price $/lb Production value ($) x 1000 2006 2,600 2,690 4.7 32,900 2007 3,000 5.0 39,000 2008 3,270 5.3 51,940 2009 * 3,200 4,220 5.4 72,900 * Estimate http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu

Changes in Florida blueberry production statistics during the 5-year period from 2007 to 2009   2007 2009 Harvested acres 2,600 3,200 +23 Yield/a (lbs.) 3,000 4,220 +41 Production (1000 lbs.) 7,800 14,100 +80 Mean Price ($/lb.) $5.00 $5.40 +8 Industry value ($1000) $39,000 $72,900 +87 Source: USDA, NASS.

2009 PRODUCTION VALUE CULTIVATED BLUEBERRY

Winter Chill Unit Accumulation

Average Price Per Pound of Berries (US dollars) Source: USDA, NASS, 2007.

Blueberry prices and shipments - earliness is critical for profitability 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 4/7 4/14 4/21 4/28 5/5 5/12 Date Berry price ($/lb.) 20 30 40 50 60 Berry harvest (10,000 lb. units) Average price per pound (US$) 10,000 lb. Units 5/26

Harvest Costs Picking costs per flat $4.62 Packing costs per flat $2.00 Packing materials per flat $1.50 Broker fee per flat $1.80-$2.00 Upkeep and maintenance $1.50 Total costs per flat* $11.42-$11.62 *Many growers believe $12.00 per flat ($3.24/lb) is the approx. break even point. A flat weighs approx. 3.7 lbs.

Early Challenges Low productivity and high production costs Few cultivars of commercial quality Few pesticides available General lack of knowledge Insect and disease management Freeze protection Pollination requirements Site selection and managing mineral soils for blueberry production

Florida’s future in blueberries World acreage distribution Source: Cort Brazelton, Brazelton Ag Consulting & U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council © 2008 © 2008 Fall Creek Nursery, Inc. 13 13

Competition from other production regions California Chile Mexico Southern Europe Mediterranean and Northern Africa Florida?

South American blueberry production 2007 Hectares Production (million kg) Harvest period 2003 2005 2007 Chile 2,108 4500 10,889 35.0 Oct.-Mar. Argentina 700 2789 4452 8.8 Sept.-Jan. Uruguay -- 556 0.6 Peru 16 0.01 Aug.-Oct. Brazil 81 0.02 Columbia 4 0.002 April-July Total 2808 7289 15,998 44.43 Source: Cort Brazelton, Brazelton Ag Consulting and U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council, 2008

Blueberries in California Southern coastal region – evergreen production, difficult to cycle plants into our production window Southern interior region – very high yields, slightly later than Florida

Blueberries in Mexico Evergreen production Most cultivars tend to ripen some fruit in fall. May be difficult to cycle plants into Florida’s production window.

How does Florida stay competitive? Market development Maintain a distinction based on quality Increase World-wide consumption Production efficiency Increase yields and reduce inputs Increase plant survival and longevity of plantings Mechanize harvest ?

Blueberry Economics 101

Blueberry Establishment Costs Ronald P. Muraro UF/IFAS CREC rpm@crec.ifas.ufl.edu Jeffrey G. Williamson UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department jgrw@ufl.edu

Solid-Set Sprinkler System 2,000 Drip-Fertigation System 1,500 Estimated Solid-Set and Drip Irrigation System for Southern Highbush Blueberry Plants in Florida, 2009 $/Acrea Well 12” 1,000 Pump and Motor 1,450 Pipe and Fittings 1,250 Solid-Set Sprinkler System 2,000 Drip-Fertigation System 1,500 Miscellaneous 150 Installation 300 TOTAL IRRIGATION INVESTMENT 7,650 a Based on 20 acres.

Year #1: Estimated Establishment and Maintenance Cost for Southern Highbush Blueberry Plants in Florida, 2009 LAND PREP $/Acre Stumping, Pushing, Burning, Rotovate-Harrowing and Choppinga 2,000 Preplant Weed Control (2 qts Glyphosate XTRA plus Application) 20 Triple Super Phosphate (150 lbs) 56 Bedding 65 Breaking Aisles 43 Ditching and Drainage 115 Milled Pine Bark (350 cu yds @ $11/cu yd) 3,850 Total Land Prep 6,149 Planting (2.5’ x 10’ – 1,740 plants per acre) 5,174 a Range from $300/acre for improved pasture to $1,200/acre for light wooded area to $2,000/acre for heavy pines.

Site preparation

Site preparation

Site preparation

Year #1: Estimated Establishment and Maintenance Cost for Southern Highbush Blueberry Plants in Florida, 2009 Production Cultural Operating Costs $/Acre Fertilizer (control release fertilizer 13-5-9) 406 Weed Control 122 Pest and Disease Control (insecticides and fungicides) 415 Other Direct Costs (pruning, irrigation, operating interest) 1,316 Total Operating Costs 2,259 Fixed Costs (Equipment & Irrigation Depreciation, Overhead & Management) 3,379 Total Operating and Fixed Costs 5,638

Year #1: Total Estimated Establishment and Maintenance Cost for Southern Highbush Blueberry Plants in Florida, 2009 $/Acre Land Preparation 6,149 Planting (2.5’ x 10’ – 1,740 plants per acre) 5,174 Production Cultural Operating Costs 2,259 Fixed Costs 3,379 Total Establishment and Maintenance Costs 16,961

Machinery Costs (Tractors, sprayers, mowers, trucks, etc.) 1,974 Summary of Estimated Establishment for Producing Southern Highbush Blueberry Plants in Florida, 2009 Investment Costs $/Acre Machinery Costs (Tractors, sprayers, mowers, trucks, etc.) 1,974 Irrigation Costs 7,650 Total Investment Costs 9,624 Establishment Costs Establishment & Maintenance Costs 16,961 Total Investment and Establishment Costsa 26,585 a Does not include a value for land.

Cumulative Cash Flow and Breakeven Year for Southern Highbush Blueberry Plants in Florida, 2009 Total Investment and Establishment Costs $/Acre Year #1 (26,585) Net Revenuea Year #2 3,751 (22,834) Year #3 9,531 (13,303) Year #4 16,117 2,814 a Flats marketed (3.7 lbs): Year #2 = 665 @ $18/flat; Year #3 = 1,330 @ $17/flat; Year #4 = 2,330 @ $16/flat.

Blueberry Cultivars The University of Florida’s blueberry breeding program is over 50 years old. Virtually all of the cultivars grown commercially in Florida were released by Dr. Paul Lyrene during the past 15 years.

Cultivar improvement Early southern highbush cultivars Poor commercial quality and/or poor field survival Current cultivars Higher yielding Improved berry size and quality Earlier ripening Improved disease resistance

Cultivars grown in Florida Primary cultivars - Emerald, Jewel, and Star (N. Florida only). Secondary cultivars - Windsor, Primadonna, Springhigh, Snowchaser. New cultivars - Sweetcrisp, Scintilla, Farthing. Obsolete cultivars – Sharpblue, Misty, Gulfcoast, Springwide, Sebring. S. Florida – Emerald, Jewel, Primadonna, Snowchaser, Scintilla?

Emerald Released 2000. Early flowering. First harvest is a few days before Sharpblue. Normal season in Gainesville: April 20 – May 20. High yielding potential.

Emerald in California

Emerald in California

Jewel Released 1999. Ripening begins about 7 days before Sharpblue. Harvest season: April 20 – May 20. Leafs well. Fruit quality is excellent but berries remain tart until fully ripe. High yield potential. Very susceptible to rust leaf spot.

Primadonna Vigorous, upright growth. Requires excellent soils. Tends to be more evergreen than Star or Jewel. Early ripening. Excellent berry quality. Concentrated harvest. Sets a heavy crop but leafs poorly and is susceptible to Dormex injury. Winter pruning may be required.

Primadonna

Scintilla Ripens 10 days before Star. Attractive, firm, berry. Open fruit clusters. Mechanical harvest potential? Low yield – early bloom? Dormex injury? Seems to evergreen well.

Scintilla

Snowchaser Very low chilling req. Exceptionally early ripening. Early flowering (fall). Good evergreen tendency. Berry size slightly smaller than average. Good scar, firmness and flavor. Slow to attain fall dormancy. Higher than average susceptibility to stem blight (damage from freeze injury?). Fall bearing?

Snowchaser

Florida Cultivar Availability Florida Foundation Seed Producers WWW.FFSP.net John Beuttenmuller beutt@ufl.edu.

Water Quality Most deep wells in Florida have high Ca and Mg carbonates. Growers often inject acids into irrigation to maintain the soil pH in a range between 4.0 and 5.5. In areas with high salinity, special considerations must be given: Long-term effects of high salinity in blueberry are unknown 400 to 550 ppm TDS is OK 1500 ppm TDS has caused damage in blueberry Irrigate often to avoid drought stress Fertilize often at low rates (avoid sodium and chloride ions) Irrigation should be sufficient to move salts below the root zone Avoid wetting foliage

Blueberry pests and diseases Stem blight Root rot Algal stem canker Blossom blight Leaf spot diseases Pests Birds (cedar wax wings) Blueberry gall midge Thrips

Blueberry stem blight

stem blight Severe dieback up top Roots look fairly healthy

Section of a stem of a plant that died from stem blight shows pecan colored discoloration

Discoloration under the bark at the crown of plants with dieback. stem blight

Poor soil drainage = Phytophthora root rot.

root rot This is a low spot in the field, and water was standing in the grass when the picture was taken. Phil Harmon, University of Florida

Phytophthora Root Rot Phytophthora root rot is a major cause of blueberry plant death. The best control is well drained soils were blueberries are grown.

root rot Inoculations reproduce the symptoms observed in the field. healthy root rot inoculated

Above ground symptoms may include reddening of leaves.

Brown mushy roots and crown suggest Phytophthora cinnamomi is causing root rot

algal stem canker Cephaleuros virescens

algal stem canker Cephaleuros virescens

algal stem canker Cephaleuros virescens

blossom blight

gray mold

Rust

Septoria leaf spot

Phyllosticta leaf spot Gloeosporium leaf spot aka anthracnose

Flower bud development on Misty defoliated in September (left) and December (right)

Before planting

Newly planted blueberry field in Polk County, FL

Pine Bark Culture

A new blueberry field being prepared for planting in Florida

Raised beds and ditches to correct soil drainage

Very few roots were located in the underlying soil

Root system was easily separated from underlying soil

Excavated Blueberry Plant

Plants established in spring, 2006.

Pine bark bed, Dec. 2007

Bark incorporated, Dec., 2007

Plant canopy volume

Berry yield per plant

Pine bark bed - 2008

Incorporated -2008

Preliminary conclusions and observations Plant growth after 3 years was not different among all pine bark treatments. Lateral movement of water from micro-sprinklers was limited in pine bark beds. Higher irrigation rates were needed on pine bark beds than in the bark incorporated treatments to thoroughly wet the root zones.

Bark incorporated + ground cloth

Blueberry irrigation

Low-volume and overhead dual irrigation system

Blueberry irrigation Root zone coverage is critical in pine bark culture where lateral water movement is limited.

Winter/spring freezes are the greatest threat to consistent production from year to year. Overhead irrigation is a requirement. Thorough coverage Continuous application Adequate application rates Minimum temperature Crop development Wind speed Water vapor content of air

How much is enough?

Benefits of Dormex (hydrogen cyanamide) for Florida blueberries Earlier fruit harvest (7 to 10+ days) Slight increase in fruit size Slight increase in yield Reduced plant stress from poor leafing and over cropping

Dormex advances vegetative bud break

Dormex Greater leaf surface area earlier during fruit development results in earlier berry ripening and larger average berry size.

Dormex advances berry harvest Q *** Q *** L *** L ***

Effect of Dormex on total berry yield

Potential disadvantages Cultivar-specific response. Plant injury (burn) from improper rate, timing, or unusual environmental conditions. Dormex injury can reduce plant yields. Erratic response in central and south-central Florida.

Conclusions Florida’s blueberry industry continues to expand. Fruit are grown exclusively for the early-season fresh market (April – May). Early harvest during the lucrative early market window is critical for profitability. Berry prices drop quickly in late May. Many inputs are needed to grow blueberries in Florida. Establishment and production costs are high. As of 2009, prices remained strong. The 2010 season was late. Large volumes of fruit came in quickly. Prices were significantly below historic levels. Many of the early challenges have been overcome; its now a matter of efficiency and profitability.

Sources of Information www.floridablueberrygrowers.com http://www.hos.ufl.edu/jgwweb/williamson.htm http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_blueberry http://www.smallfruits.org

Thank You! Questions?