Blueberries are a rapidly growing agricultural commodity in Oregon. In 2005, about 3,700 acres of blueberries are harvested with a crop estimated at 30 million pounds, which ranks Oregon third in the country in total blueberry production. Because of such a huge market demand for organic blueberries, both new and established blueberry growers are starting to explore organic blueberry production.
Although a few fungicides and insecticides are labeled for organic use, their effectiveness for controlling diseases and pests has not been investigated in organic blueberry production systems. Field visits to a few organic blueberry farms and grower calls indicate nutrition (especially nitrogen) and weed control are the top two problems facing organic blueberry growers today. Clearly, research in nutrition and pest management are needed in order to establish an industry standard for organic blueberry production. We evaluated two organic fertilizer blends for organic blueberry production using an established blueberry field at the North Willamette Research and Extension Center (NWREC) in 2005. Fish waste-based and protein-based organic fertilizers supplied 100 lb N and 10 lb P per acre which is adequate for a 7 year old blueberry field and there was no difference amongst the cultivars Duke, Bluecrop, and Elliott.
