Nutrient blend dashboard approach to optimize fruit set and growth of Biloxi blueberries

The present study was conducted to optimise the growth size of the Biloxi blueberry variety by establishing a heuristic dashboard of soil nutrients and monitoring fruit set percentage to maximise the nutrient blend through fertilised water irrigation (10 sets per day over a 90-day harvest period). Blueberries are known as “longevity fruits” due to their high antioxidant capacity against free radicals and reactive species, and they are considered to be one of the greatest sources of antioxidants among all fruits. The time of leaf and floral bud initiation was determined by recording the date of the first leaf and flower to open. Percent fruit set was observed by counting the number of flowers on different selected branches and the number of fruits 15 days after full bloom. Percent fruit set was calculated as follows: Fruit set (%) = (total number of flowers/total number of flowers) x 100. After harvesting, the fruit was analysed for size, weight, and physicochemical properties (total solids, titratable acidity, total sugars, and reducing sugars) using standard procedures. A mixture dashboard was created by blending the acidic: potassium nitrate, magnesium sulphate, monoammonium phosphate, Iron chelate, and phosphoric acid; and non-acidic parts: calcium nitrate, ammonium sulphate, boric acid. After the berry's growth and flowering period (90 days), the increase in size resulting from irrigation with the optimal mixture was maximised at 13 mm, an increase of 2 mm + 0.1 in the measured samples.