Agricultural Water Management 148 (2015) 207–212

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Agricultural Water Management

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Number of drip laterals and irrigation frequency on yield and

exportable fruit size of highbush blueberry grown in a sandy soil
E. Holzapfel a,∗ , J. Jara b , A.M. Coronata c
a
Universidad de Concepción, Facultad de Ingeniería Agrícola, Departamento de Recursos Hídricos, Centro de Recursos Hídricos para la Agricultura y la
Minería, Chillán, Chile
b
Universidad de Concepción, Facultad de Ingeniería Agrícola, Departamento de Recursos Hídricos, Centro de Recursos Hídricos para la Agricultura y la
Minería, Chillán, Chile
c
Graduate Student, Instituto Profesional Santo Tomás, Área de Recursos Naturales, Los Ángeles, Chile

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Wetted area is an important factor in the production of blueberries. The effects of the number of drip
Received 27 January 2014 laterals (wetted area) and irrigation frequency on fruit production were evaluated in two seasons in a
Accepted 1 October 2014 mature field of northern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L. ‘Brigitta’). The field was located
Available online 30 October 2014
on a sandy soil in south-central Chile. Seven-year-old plants were irrigated from Sept. to April with two,
four or six drip laterals per row, either four or six days per week. All treatments received the same amount
Keywords:
of water per week for a total of 532 mm per season, according to the irrigation schedule established by
Crop evapotranspiration
the grower. During the 2008–2009 season the volume of water applied through irrigation plus precipita-
Chile
Soil water content
tion corresponded to 90% of the theoretical crop evapotranspiration (ETc), and in the 2009–2010 season
Vaccinium corymbosum (until harvest) it was 122% of the ETc. Blueberry production on sandy soil was affected by the number of
drip laterals per row, and total berry yield was the greatest when plants were irrigated with four drip
laterals per row. The two irrigation frequencies evaluated did not affect the blueberry production under
drip irrigation, although a barely noticeable trend of greater yield was observed under the irrigation
treatments of six days per week, compared with those that were irrigated only four days per week. An
interaction effect was observed between irrigation frequency and number of laterals on the percentage
of exportable fruit (caliber ≥10 mm). Plants irrigated four days per week produced a significantly larger
percentage of exportable fruit, compared with those irrigated six days per week. Nevertheless, when
plants were irrigated six days per week the increase in number of drip laterals per row increased the per-
centage of exportable fruit. Therefore, it is recommended to use four drip laterals per row for commercial
production of highbush blueberry in sandy soils.
© 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction Most drip systems used in blueberry production are configured

Irrigation is critical to highbush blueberry because plants are
shallow-rooted and fruit production is reduced by even moderate
levels of water stress (Bryla and Strik, 2007; Mingeau et al., 2001).
Most blueberry orchards in Chile, which currently comprise over
8000 ha, are irrigated by microjet or drip. Sprinklers are also used
but are not advisable unless sprinkler frost protection is needed.
Sprinklers increase incidence of fungal disease in the fruit and
canopy, and increase water cost and requirements (Bryla, 2008).
∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +5642208804; fax: +5642275303.
E-mail addresses: eholzap@udec.cl (E. Holzapfel), jcjara@udec.cl (J. Jara),
acoronata@santotomas.cl (A.M. Coronata).
with one or two laterals per row, and laterals are usually placed
0.10 to 0.15 m from the base of the plant. Bryla et al. (2011) found
that plant growth in ‘Elliot’ blueberry was generally better with drip
than with sprinkler or microjet irrigation during the first two years
after planting, while Pannunzio et al. (2011) found that ‘O’Neal’
blueberry yield was higher with two drip laterals per row than with
one lateral per row. Also, Holzapfel et al. (2004) reported, in a 7-
year study on ‘Brigitta’ blueberry, that microjet irrigation produced
greater yield and larger fruit weight than drip irrigation, but there
were no clear differences between the numbers of berries per bush
obtained with either drip or microjet irrigation. Bryla et al. (2009)
reported that fruit size is affected by irrigation method and level of
water application, indicating that the drip system produced higher
yields and larger fruit with less water than with a microjet system.
With respect to irrigation frequency, Lyrene and Crocker (1991)

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2014.10.001
0378-3774/© 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
208 E. Holzapfel et al. / Agricultural Water Management 148 (2015) 207–212
pointed out that ‘Rabbiteye’ blueberry has to be irrigated daily in
sandy soils. Clearly, the response of blueberry to irrigation is related
to plant age and root development and the ability of an irrigation
system to adequately meet plant water demands, and irrigation
water must be placed in the root extraction zone.
The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of
irrigating with two, four or six drip laterals per row at either four or
six days per week on fruit production of mature highbush blueberry
plants grown on a sandy soil.
2. Materials and methods
The study was conducted in a commercial 7-year-old field
of ‘Brigitta’ blueberry during two consecutive growing seasons
(2008/2009 and 2009/2010). The field was located in the Santa Aida
Farm in the Central Valley in the Bío-Bío Province, Chile (37◦ 19 28 S
and 72◦ 21 38 W, 151 m.a.s.l.). Soil in the field had a sandy texture
(Dystric Xeropsamments, Entisol), field capacity varied from 0.32 at
the surface to 0.23 m3 m−3 at a depth of 0.6 m and permanent wil-
ting point varied from 0.19 to 0.12 m3 m−3 , as determined by the
pressure plate method (Klute, 1986) at pressures 0.03 and 1.5 MPa,
respectively. Soil bulk density ranged from 1.53 Mg m−3 at the sur-
face to 1.63 Mg m−3 at 0.60 m of depth, and basic infiltration rate of
5 cm h−1 . At the time of ridge construction and prior to planting, the
soil was amended with pine bark (Pinus radiata D. Don) in chunks
that were distributed in a 1-meter-wide band. In the following year,
pine bark was incorporated again on the surface of the ridge. Soil
analysis at the time of the experiment indicated that organic mat-
ter was 4.3% at the surface, decreasing to 0.7% at a depth of 0.6 m.
The plants were spaced 1 m apart in the row with 3 m between
rows, on 0.25-m high raised beds mulched with pine bark. Prior to
the study, each row of plants was irrigated using two laterals per
row of 16-mm diameter drip tubing. The tubing had 2 L h−1 non-
pressure compensating emitters spaced 0.35 m apart (CV = 0.05),
located approximately 0.05 m away from the crown on both sides,
and the same tubing was used in the study. Discharge rates of the
emitters were evaluated at the beginning of each irrigation season,
with values of 2.02 L h−1 for the first season, 1.99 L h−1 for the sec-
ond season and Christiansen Uniformity Coefficient (CUC) of 92.3%
for both seasons.
The irrigation system was modified in the spring of 2008 to
accommodate six irrigation treatments. The experimental design
was a randomized complete block design with a 3 × 2 facto-
rial arrangement. The factors were the number of drip laterals
per row (two, four or six) and irrigation frequency (four or six
irrigation days per week). Blocks were established across rows with
irrigation treatments randomly assigned to a specific row within
Fig. 1. Estimated crop evapotranspiration (ETc), water applied by drip (irrigations) and rainfall through both seasons of the research. DOY is the day of year.
each block. Each block was replicated three times. An individual
block consisted of 12 rows: six treatment data rows and six bor-
der rows. The border rows were between each treatment row. The
experimental unit had six contiguous plants in a row, with a total
of 18 experimental units and 108 harvested plants.
According to the standardized irrigation schedule previously
established by the technical adviser to the grower in this
orchard, each treatment received a total of 532 mm of irrigation
(1596 L plant−1 ) between 15 Sept. and 26 April, each season, and
received a total of 87 mm of rainfall between Sept. 2008 and Apr.
2009 and 296 mm between Sept. 2009 and Feb. 2010 (Fig. 1). Each
treatment was irrigated with the same amount of water during
the study by adjusting the length of time in which the water was
applied each week. For example, if irrigation was applied 30 min
per day in the treatment irrigated six days a week with two lat-
erals per row, then irrigation was applied 15 and 10 min per day
in the treatments irrigated six days a week with four or six later-
als per row, respectively, and 45, 22.5, and 15 min per day in the
treatments irrigated four days a week with two, four, or six laterals
per row, respectively. The distance between laterals and the crown
was 0.05 m, and the spacing between the other laterals was 0.10 m
(Fig. 2).
The theoretical water demand for the plants was calculated
based on daily estimates of crop evapotranspiration, following the
calculations outlined in Holzapfel et al. (2004) with constant values
obtained from Jara (2010):
ETc = ETr Fc (1)
in which
Fc = 1.28Pc + 0.11 (2)
and
AS
Pc = (3)
HL
where ETc is the theoretical or estimated crop evapotranspiration
of fruit trees (mm day−1 ); ETr is the reference evapotranspiration
(mm day−1 ), calculated daily using the Penman–Monteith equation
(ASCE, 2005) and meteorological data obtained from a weather
station (Campbell Scientific Inc., USA, 2002), located 16 km from
the experimental site (Table 1); Fc is an estimated dimensionless
crop factor associated with Pc, which corresponds to plant canopy
coverage (0.1 < Pc < 0.7); AS is the shaded area at noon (m2 ) deter-
mined by measuring the shadow diameter projected on the soil by
the plant, in several directions; H is the distance between rows (m)
and L is the distance between plants within the row (m). Pc of the
plants at noon was determined monthly throughout the irrigation
season and averaged 0.37 each year during the study.
 E. Holzapfel et al. / Agricultural Water Management 148 (2015) 207–212 209

Fig. 2. Location of laterals with drip emitter lines and soil moisture measurement tubes in treatments with two, four and six drip laterals per row.

Table 1
Climatic conditions at the site during the course of the experiment.

Season Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr

◦ ◦ 2008–2009 18.1 20.5 24.9 27.2 29.0 27.1 26.8 22.4
T max ( C)
2009–2010 16.0 18.5 19.0 23.5 27.0 26.3 24.5 19.9
◦ ◦ 2008–2009 5.9 7.2 10.0 12.0 11.8 11.5 11.0 10.0
T min ( C)
2009–2010 5.5 8.0 8.2 10.6 13.1 13.3 11.6 6.6
Pp (mm 2008–2009 89.2 23.4 9.6 12.0 4.0 2.6 4.1 19.8
month−1 ) 2009–2010 78.7 126.8 73.2 8.6 27.9 75.3 18.6 11.3
VPD (kPa) 2008–2009 0.22 0.27 0.92 1.02 0.89 0.63 0.60 0.29
2009–2010 0.19 0.21 0.53 0.74 0.91 0.67 0.55 0.39

T◦ max: average monthly maximum temperature, T◦ min: average monthly minimum temperature, Pp : total monthly precipitation, VPD: average monthly vapor pressure
deficit.

Vapor pressure deficit (VPD) was estimated hourly and averaged Table 2
Total fruit yield of ‘Brigitta’ blueberry during two growing seasons.
over days for each month using the expression VPD = e0 (1 − rh),
where e0 is the saturated vapor pressure at the actual air temper- Season Yield (t ha−1 ) df Error MS CV (%)
ature and rh represents relative humidity measured at the same 2008–2009 12.0 100 6.09 20.6
time by the weather station (Table 1). 2009–2010 17.0 100 7.46 16.1
Fertilizer was applied weekly throughout the irrigation season
(September–April) by fertigation in each treatment at a total annual
rate of 116 kg ha−1 N (CO(NH2 )2 and NH4 H2 PO4 ), 29 kg ha−1 P were similar between the two growing seasons and therefore years
(NH4 H2 PO4 and H3 PO4 ), 138 kg ha−1 K (K2 SO4 and K2 O), 15 kg ha−1 were combined to evaluate the drip treatment effects (Table 2)
Ca (CaO), 14 kg ha−1 Mg (MgSO4 ), and 69 kg ha−1 S (K2 SO4 and (Hoshmand, 2006). Means were separated at the 5% level using
MgSO4 ). This fertigation was complemented with Ultrasol Multi- Fisher’s protected LSD test.
purpose 18N, 18P, 18K (SQM, Chile) (H3 BO3 , MoO4 Na2 , Fe as EDTA,
Zn, Cu and Mn complexed). 3. Results and discussion
Soil water content was measured weekly at depths of 0.1, 0.2,
0.3, 0.4 and 0.6 m using a Delta-T profile probe (Model PR1) and 3.1. Soil water content
meter (Model HH2; Delta-T Devices Ltd. Cambridge, U.K.) calibrated
on site (average R2 = 0.984 and average RMSE = 0.014 m3 m−3 ). The Soil water content was higher, on average, during the second
probe was inserted into fiberglass access tubes installed in each year of the study than during the first (Fig. 3), primarily due to
treatment plot. Tubes were located in three positions in plots irri- higher rainfall and lower evapotranspiration rates in that growing
gated with two or six laterals per row, and in two positions in plots season (Fig. 1). Soil water content measured prior to each irrigation
irrigated with four laterals per row (Fig. 2). event in the 2008–2009 season was generally higher in the top
The total fruit production of each of the 108 plants was harvested 0.2 m of the soil profile in plots irrigated with four laterals per row
individually by hand on three dates between 26 December 2008 four days per week, and lower in plots irrigated with two or four
and 10 January 2009, and on four dates between 6 January 2010 laterals per row and six days per week (Fig. 4). Soil water con-
and 4 February 2010. In addition, fruit diameter was also measured tent was also lower at depths of 0.3–0.4 m and 0.6 m, when plants
in each treatment in 2010. Twenty berries of every plant (108) on were irrigated with four or six laterals per row four days per week,
each harvest date were separated randomly and measured using a than with the other treatments. However, soil water content varied,
caliper. on average, between field capacity and permanent wilting point
The yield data were analyzed by analysis of variance using the at depths of 0.1–0.4 m, where most blueberry roots are concen-
SAS statistical package (SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA). An analysis trated (Bryla and Strik, 2007). Similar behavior in soil water content
of the homogeneity of error variance indicated that yield responses was observed for the treatments in 2009–2010 (data not shown).
210 E. Holzapfel et al. / Agricultural Water Management 148 (2015) 207–212

Fig. 3. Soil water content () in the soil profile (Z) before irrigation for two irrigation frequencies, 2, 4 or 6 drip laterals per row and two selected days (December 1st, 2008
and December 2nd, 2009). Horizontal bars indicate ± one standard deviation.

Fig. 4. The seasonal course of soil water content () at 0.1–0.2 m, 0.3–0.4 m and 0.6 m of soil depth before irrigation for blueberry irrigated (I) four or six days per week with 2,
4 or 6 drip laterals per row. 2008–2009 season. Vertical bars indicate ± one standard deviation. FC and PWP are  at soil water potential of −30 and −1500 J kg−1 , respectively.
 E. Holzapfel et al. / Agricultural Water Management 148 (2015) 207–212
Finally, in the treatment irrigated with two laterals per row four
days per week, the high soil water content at a depth of 0.6 m can be
attributed to the predominance of the vertical movement of water
in sandy soils, in which the application of large volumes of water
results in percolation losses.
The lowest soil water content variability was below a depth of
0.3 m in plots irrigated with four or six laterals per row, especially
those irrigated six days per week (Fig. 4). In general, for the deepest
layers of soil and largest number of laterals per row, the soil water
content measured just before irrigation tended to be relatively sta-
ble throughout the season. This could be explained for the deepest
layers by the scarce or null water extraction by the roots. For a
larger number of laterals the decreasing variability of soil water
content could be attributed to a better water distribution and/or
more homogeneous water uptake by roots.
3.2. Total fruit production
Total fruit production was also higher in 2009–2010 than in
2008–2009 (Table 2), but in each year it ranged within average
production in commercial orchards as well as production reported
in other research (Holzapfel et al., 2004; Bryla and Strik, 2007;
Bryla et al., 2009). Considering that the pruning was done with
the same crew each season and following a standard procedure,
and on the basis of previous results, it is possible to infer that the
increase in production during the second season can be attributed
to the increase in water supply between one season and the next,
caused by higher precipitation during the 2009–2010 season. The
low water retention of sandy soils implies that large amounts of
rainfall are not fully seized by the plants. Another aspect that may
have influenced this higher blueberry yield was air temperature,
which was on average 2.7 ◦ C higher during the 2008–2009 than
during the following season. In the first season, there were 33 days
with air temperatures higher than 30 ◦ C and in the 2009–2010 sea-
son there were only 12 days whose maximum air temperature was
above 30 ◦ C. According to Gough (1994), temperature affects all the
biological processes of the plant, and air temperatures higher than
30 ◦ C can cause internal plant water deficit, foliar burning, chloro-
sis, phloem and cambium death, heterogeneous maturity and a
considerable decrease in the growth of blueberries.
In blueberries, the VPD is usually not a reported climatic vari-
able (Krebs et al., 2009; Salvo et al., 2012). However, it should be
considered (Table 1) given that it may play a role in the relation-
ship between crop yield and transpiration, as shown by Tanner and
Sinclair (1983). Rojano et al. (2011) described the role of VPD as
a single variable, taking air temperature and humidity as physical
limiting factors in agricultural management. In our research, the
lower VPD value (higher relative humidity) that occurred during
the 2009–2010 season could have had an effect on the superior
total berry yield.
It is important to highlight that in the 2008–2009 season (Fig. 1),
the blueberries received only 90% of the water used by the crop
in evapotranspiration during the irrigation period (between 15
September 2008 and 26 April 2009). On the other hand, in the
2009–2010 season, irrigation plus rainfall exceeded the ETc by 22%
in the period between 15 September 2009 and 17 February 2010.
The results of the combined analysis of yield for both seasons
indicated that irrigation frequency did not affect yield; however,
fruit yield was significantly affected by the number of drip laterals
per row (P < 0.05) (Table 3). Interactions were not significant. The
treatment with the highest yield (four drip laterals per row) yielded
on average 15% and 7% more than the treatments with two or six
drip laterals per row, respectively.
In both seasons, total berry yield had a similar tendency,
whereby the treatments that had six days of irrigation per week
showed a barely noticeable trend of greater production, compared
211
Table 3
Total berry yield of ‘Brigitta’ blueberry irrigated using two, four or six drip laterals
per row and two irrigation frequencies. Data were pooled over two growing seasons
(2008-2009 and 2009-2010).
Irrigations per Laterals per row
week
2 4 6 Average
−1
Fruit yield (t ha )
4 13.3 aB 14.5 aA 13.1 aB 13.6
6 13.6 aC 16.5 aA 15.9 aB 15.3
Average 13.4 15.5 14.5
Means were separated by Fisher’s protected LSD test (P < 0.05). Means followed by
the same capital letter in the row are not significantly different at P < 0.05. Means
followed by the same small letter within a column are not significantly different at
P < 0.05.
with those that had irrigation only four times per week (P = 0.0532).
This is consistent with the findings of Lyrene and Crocker (1991),
who recommended irrigating ‘Rabbiteye’ blueberries once a week
in soils with high water retention capacity and daily in sandy soils.
Also, it is more likely that the yields tended to be greater with
more frequent irrigations, such as six irrigations per week, because
less water could be deep percolated, compared with plants irri-
gated four days per week. Over-irrigation decreases the amount
of oxygen available for plants in the root zone, diminishing root
growth and nutrient absorption (Bryla et al., 2011). In addition,
Bryla and Strik (2007) determined that ‘Duke’, ‘Bluecrop’, and ‘Elliot’
blueberry root density is greater in the first 0.25 m of depth in
plants spaced both 0.45 m and 1.2 m apart within the row, which
allows us to infer that the root zone is where water should be
applied.
The results indicated above may have resulted from improved
distribution of the water applied to the root zone. This situation has
been mentioned by other authors (Holzapfel et al., 2004; Pannunzio
et al., 2011).
3.3. Exportable fruit production
More than 90% of the fruits in each treatment were ≥10 mm in
diameter and therefore were suitable for export. However, unlike
total fruit production, the percentage of exportable fruit was sig-
nificantly affected by the interaction between irrigation frequency
and the number of drip laterals (P < 0.05) (Fig. 5). The percentage
was significantly greater at four irrigation days per week than at six
irrigation days per week when plants were irrigated with two drip
laterals, but similar between the two frequencies when plants were
Fig. 5. Effect of drip lateral number per row and irrigation (I) frequency on percent-
age of exportable fruit (caliber ≥10 mm) of ‘Brigitta’ blueberry in 2009–2010 season.
* Significant at P < 0.05 and ns indicate the means were non-significant (P < 0.05)
within each lateral treatment.
212 E. Holzapfel et al. / Agricultural Water Management 148 (2015) 207–212
irrigated with four or six laterals per row. This is probably due to
the lower yield of treatments of four irrigations per week (Table 3).
In blueberries, the caliber of the fruit increases when the number
of fruits per plant decreases (Strik et al., 2003).
The percentage of fruit suitable for export had a lower value in
the treatment with two drip laterals per row irrigated six days per
week (which is used in the commercial blueberry field where this
experiment was established). However, the increase in the number
of drip laterals consistently increased the percentage of exportable
fruit. As seen in the values shown in Table 3 and Fig. 5, the variation
of exportable fruit between the current management (12.5 t ha−1 )
and the treatment of six irrigations per week with four laterals per
row (15.8 t ha−1 ) was 3.3 t ha−1 . Also, the average of exportable fruit
with two (12.8 t ha−1 ) and four laterals per row (15.1 t ha−1 ), dif-
fered by 2.3 t ha−1 . Finally, comparing average of exportable fruit
between four irrigations per week (13.4 t ha−1 ) and six irrigations
per week (14.6 t ha−1 ), differed by 1.2 t ha−1 .
Based on previous results obtained in this research on total berry
yield and percentage of exportable fruit, it is appropriate to suggest
for blueberry orchards growing in sandy soils or sandy-loam soils,
that the number of laterals per row should be increased from two
to four, while maintaining the volume of water applied. From an
economic point of view, the annual equivalent marginal income
gained by the investment of two additional drip laterals per row
(annual interest rate of 10%) is profitable. Considering that drip
tubing costs approximately US$ 0.5/m, and fruit prices average US$
3.0/kg (PROCHILE, 2011), even at a marginal annual exportable fruit
production of 2 t ha−1 , the income gained from adding two extra
laterals per row would be 10 times the investment, with all other
variables constant. Thus, the increase in marginal expected income
in the first year would pay for the investment necessary to irrigate
six day per week.
4. Conclusions
The study indicated that while more 90% of the fruit in each
treatment was suitable for export, plants irrigated four days per
week with two laterals per row produced a significantly higher
percentage of exportable fruit compared with those irrigated six
days per week. However, for four or six laterals per row the
percentage of exportable fruit was not affected by the irrigation
frequency.
On the other hand, compared to using two laterals per row, using
four laterals per row increased total berry yield by 15%, while six
laterals resulted in berry yield increases of only 8%, when blueberry
was grown on sandy soil. Even though the irrigation frequency
did not affect the total berry yield under drip irrigation, the treat-
ments of six days of irrigation per week showed a slight trend
of greater production, compared to those that had irrigation four
days per week. Thus, four drip laterals per row is recommended
for commercial blueberry production on sandy or sandy-loam
soils.
In addition, the importance of researching the impact of the rela-
tionships among applied water, air temperature and vapor pressure
deficit on blueberry fruit production is deduced by comparing the
results obtained in this study from both seasons.
Acknowledgments
The research reported in this paper was conducted at the
Department of Water Resources and Water Center for Agriculture
of the University of Concepción, Chile, as part of FONDEF Project
D09I-1069 and BMBF-CONICYT 231-2010 and the Water Resources
Center for Agriculture and Mine. CONICYT/FONDAP/15130015.
The authors are very grateful to Dr. Marisol Berti from North
Dakota State University and Dr. Susan Fischer from the Universi-
dad de Concepción for their valuable collaboration in the statistical
analysis and support of this manuscript. Also, we thank Mrs. Aira
Muñoz and Mr. Claudio Contreras, owners of Santa Aida farm,
where this research was conducted. We are especially thankful to
the anonymous reviewers for their valuable support which helped
us improve the article.
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