SUMMARY
The effect of early cropping (no blossom removal the first two years) and in-row spacing at 0.45 m and 1.2 m (1.5 ft and 4 ft) are being studied in ‘Duke’, ‘Bluecrop’, and ‘Elliott’ blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) planted in October 1999. No yield was produced on the non-cropped plants in 2000 and 2001. In the early-cropped treatments, yield at 0.45 m was about three times that at 1.2 m in all cultivars in 2000 and 2001. ‘Duke’ and ‘Elliott’ produced the highest yield in 2000. In 2001, yield increased 8 to 16 fold at the 0.45 m spacing, depending on cultivar. Pruning weight per plant was affected by cultivar, in-row spacing, and early cropping. In winter 2000/01, after one year of early cropping, there was no treatment effect on the percentage of fruit buds per lateral. However, in winter 2001/02, early-cropped plants had a lower percentage of fruit buds in ‘Bluecrop’ and ‘Duke’ than plants that were not cropped early. Plants spaced at 0.45 m also had a lower percentage of fruit buds than those at 1.2 m in ‘Duke’ and ‘Elliott’. Total plant dry weight in winter 2001/02 was affected by cultivar and early-cropping. Early cropping reduced plant size in all cultivars.
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