Published in Scientific Papers. Series B, Horticulture, Vol. LXVIV, Issue 2
Written by Mihaela BUJOR, Adrian ASĂNICĂ, Valerica TUDOR, Dan POPESCU, Oana Vasilica HERA, Răzvan Ionuț TEODORESCU
In Romania, interest in blueberry cultivation has increased significantly in recent years, due to the growing market demand for this nutrient-rich and antioxidant-packed fruit. Thus, cultivating blueberries can not only bring substantial economic benefits, but also contribute to environmental protection and to improving consumer health. This makes blueberries a particularly attractive choice for farmers and investors, as well as a smart and advantageous option from multiple perspectives: economic, ecological, and health-related. The objective of this study was to evaluate the main growth and fruiting characteristics of 17 blueberry cultivars (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) grown in the Bucharest area, in two ridge cultivation systems: trellised and free (no wired). The correlation analysis highlights the fact that the trellised system provides a much more coherent relationship between vegetative parameters (no of stems, shoots, and buds) and fruiting potential, suggesting a superior and more efficient use of the plant’s physiological resources. At the same time, we seized that the total yield is not strictly determined by the number of fruits, reflecting differences among cultivars in terms of fruit size and average fruit weight. This aspect and results could be explained by the fact that the analysed plants are still young and have not yet reached their maximum biological fruiting potential.
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