• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.354-361
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• 2012

This study was conducted to evaluate on the freezing tolerance of introduced blueberry cultivars in Korea and to investigate availability of portable timber moisture meter for simple and rapid diagnosis of blueberry-shoot damage by freezing during wintering. Frost tolerance of blueberry cultivars showed big difference that rates of blueberry-shoot death were widely distributed from about 0% to 100% after wintering. Optical density in TTC reduction of blueberry twig treated low temperature was low in order of $-40^{\circ}C$ < $-21^{\circ}C$ < $4^{\circ}C$. Hardiness evaluation of visible injury in the cross-sectional surface color did not agree with that of rates of blueberry-shoot death during wintering. Lowest water content of blueberry stem measured by timber moisture tester during wintering was about 15%. During wintering, water contents of blueberry stems were higher at lower part of tree, but were low at end part of stems, and then when the blueberry grew again for spring, the water content gradually increased to 20~40%. Water content of blueberry stem with freezing injury during wintering decreased to under 5% by desiccation. Therefore it is assummed that the moisture content of blueberry stem injured by freezing during wintering was about under 14%, and it is expected that portable timber moisture meter could be available for rapid diagnosis of blueberry freezing injury in field.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.598-603
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• 2016

The aim of this study was to elucidate the influence of vigor of a bearing shoot in ‘Bluecrop’ Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) on growth characteristics of shoots and fruits. Bearing shoots were classified with BS (bearing shoot) and BMB (bearing mother branch). The vigor of bearing shoots were divided into four arbitrary categories; A was thin (< 6.0 ㎜) BMB and short (< 10 ㎝) BS, B was thin BMB and long (≥ 10 ㎝) BS, C was thick (≥ 6 ㎜) BMB and short BS and D was thick BMB and long BS. Shoots from D were longer (6.5 ㎝) and thicker (1.70 ㎜) than those from the others. Shoots of D had more leaves (5.8 ea) than those of the others. Leaf area of D was larger (13.5 ㎠) than those of the others. The first harvest of D was one week faster than the others. Ratio of big berry (>14 ㎜) from the long BSs was higher (B : 41.7, D : 46.8%) than that from the short BSs. Soluble solid content of small berrys did not show any different according to vigor of bearing shoots, but soluble solid content of big berrys of the long BSs was higher (B : 16.2, D : 15.6°Bx) than those of the short BSs. The thickness of BMB did not affect ratio of fruit size and soluble soild content. The long BSs would be proper than the short BSs for bearing bigger fruits.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 2014

Rooting agents and shading treatments were tested in two different experiments to determine their effects on the establishment success of hardwood cuttings of three highbush blueberry varieties 'Bluecrop', 'Duke' and 'Sunrise'. For the experiment with rooting agents, one-cm long bases of the cuttings were dipped into solutions of IBA or NAA for 5 s, both at 0, 500 and $1000mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ in 50% ethanol, and were also treated with Rootone$^{(R)}$ powder. Determined 90 days after cutting, the percent rooting and root weight were increased by NAA at $500mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ in 'Bluecrop' and 'Sunrise', while in 'Duke' IBA at $500mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ was effective. These auxin treatments were found to work better than a commercial product Rootone$^{(R)}$. The rooting agent-induced increases in root development resulted in better shoot growth of the cuttings in all three varieties, as determined after 90 days of further growth in individual containers. In the experiment with shading treatments, different levels of the shading treatment (30 to 90%) were imposed over the cutting bed under no mist. In all three varieties, 30% shading increased the percent rooting and root and shoot growth, compared to no shading control. However, shading levels higher than 50% shading were found to be inhibitory for hardwood cuttings of highbush blueberries, especially under the environmental conditions with no mist system.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.328-333
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• 2016

This study was conducted to determine the influences of winter and summer pruning on the yield and fruit quality in southern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L. hybrid) cv. 'Misty'. The 5-year-old southern highbush blueberry 'Misty' were used. The pruning treatments were as follows: 1) control (no pruning), 2) winter pruning (30% removed), and 3) winter pruning + summer pruning (Aug. 5). Fruits harvested for six times over the harvest season and measured yields, unmarketable fruit (defected and immature fruit), changes of each fruit weight and analyzed fruit characteristics, such as total sugar, total anthocyanin contents and total phenolic contents. The differential pruning treatments were not significant for fruit yields of southern highbush 'Misty'. No pruning treatment showed regular yields after the 2nd harvest, but the other pruning treatments were appeared that fruit yields were more concentrated on the 2nd~4th harvest time. Total sugar and total phenolic contents were observed the highest at the 4th time among the harvest period. No pruning treatment showed the highest unmarketable fruit yield at 57%, however, that of winter pruning and winter + summer pruning treatment occurred at 26%, 31%, respectively.