Using Shade Cloth on Blackberries: Status report on an on

Walker Miller
The Happy Berry Inc.
Six Mile, SC
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High temperatures are associated with red
reversion, white and aborted drupelets and
heat/sunburn injured fruits
Dr. Clarks Observations of beautiful fruit in the
Pacific Northwest suggested an association of
improved quality with cooler temperatures
Stanton and others reported floral incompetence
at 95 degree days and 72 degree nights on
primocane-fruiting berries
◦ Decrease in viability of pollen - duration stigma
receptivity
SARE#FS13-276 "Shade Cloth For
Fall Bearing Blackberries"
1/8/15 SEF&V Conference,
Savannah, GA
2
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Elevations of 800 to 1000 feet + – cooler?
Late fall frost events – Long term aver. Nov. 1
Thermal inversion east side of Lake Keowee
◦ Wind machine
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All equal a potential long harvest window
Israel researcher indicated similar problem
with high temps was addressed with shade
cloth
◦ Shade cooling
◦ Shade reflectance of heat in light frost events
SARE#FS13-276 "Shade Cloth For
Fall Bearing Blackberries"
1/8/15 SEF&V Conference,
Savannah, GA
3
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Develop affordable shade cloth support
structure
◦ Would work on steeply sloped terrain
◦ Enable tractor
 Middle mowing,
 Air assisted spraying
 Directed weed management spraying
◦ Uses local available supplies
◦ Retractable and deployable (snow, hurricanes, etc.)
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Verify shade cloth anticipated impacts
◦ Lower high temps
◦ Improved quality berries
◦ Reduced heat loss in frost events
SARE#FS13-276 "Shade Cloth For
Fall Bearing Blackberries"
1/8/15 SEF&V Conference,
Savannah, GA
4
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Approximately 1000 feet of row ~ 10 rows
on 10 ft centers
◦ 500 feet Black Magic 500 feet Prime Ark
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Trellis
26 - 4x4 treated 12ft & 20, 3 Ft Anchors ($400)
High tensile Wire 1000 ft ($25)
Top rail chain link fence 1100 ft ($1200)
Hardware – 26 and 34 lag screws, 24 - 45 degree
connectors, 17 end caps 26 “u” straps ($75)
◦ 400 ft 14 gauge electric fence wire and 30
strainers ($100)
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Total In round numbers $1800 For project
or $7850 per acre
SARE#FS13-276 "Shade Cloth For
Fall Bearing Blackberries"
1/8/15 SEF&V Conference,
Savannah, GA
5
SARE#FS13-276 "Shade Cloth For
Fall Bearing Blackberries"
1/8/15 SEF&V Conference,
Savannah, GA
6
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Aluminet 50% shade
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Case of blind leading the blind
(Plant where individual cloths cut, taped
and grommeted is in Toccoa Georgia)
◦ Ended up with 13 cloths
 I designed the system not understanding how the shade
cloths are made what widths work for them
 What we got did not fit and we had to add additional
wires took a really long time to sort it out
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Total cost including grommets every 5 feet, hooks,
Zip ties $3046 dollars for approximately 10,000
sq feet Just shy of ¼ acre
Black 30% shade cloth would have been $1952
dollars
SARE#FS13-276 "Shade Cloth For
Fall Bearing Blackberries"
1/8/15 SEF&V Conference,
Savannah, GA
7
Shade Cloth up by July 25, 2014
NOAA Temp box up by August 13, 2014
with mercury thermometer in shade and
in sun
NOAA Box temp not much different in
shade than in sun
Second thermometer added out-of-box
August 18 – 8 records/day
In Shade
In Sun
In box – out of box In box – out of box
Hi – low hi - low hi – low hi – low
94 68 103 67 94 67 101 66
See Problem
SARE#FS13-276 "Shade Cloth For
Fall Bearing Blackberries"
1/8/15 SEF&V Conference,
Savannah, GA
8
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Number of days out-of-box temperature
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Frost days out-of-box temp in shade
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◦ Lower in sun 69
◦ Same “ “
11
◦ higher “ “
11
Days, in days obs. made
“
“ “
“
“
“
“ “
“
“
◦ Lower in shade 0
◦ Same “ “
0
◦ Higher “
“
9
Days, in days of frost (fall)
“
“ “
“ “
“
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“
Who amongst has not experienced significant
cooling in the shade of a tree? This does not
hold true for “Aluminet Shade Cloth”
SARE#FS13-276 "Shade Cloth For
Fall Bearing Blackberries"
1/8/15 SEF&V Conference,
Savannah, GA
9
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Number of days in-box high temp different than
temperature in the shade
◦ Lower in sun
◦ Same
“ “
◦ Higher “ “
42 Days
32 “
14 “
◦ lower in sun
◦ Same “ “
◦ Higher “ “
57 Days
27 “
7 “
Number of days in-box low temp different than
temperature in the shade
In-box temps suggest “Aluminet Shade Cloth”
did not reduce high temps; ie cooler in the sun
But strongly suggest Shade Cloth did increase
night time temperatures
SARE#FS13-276 "Shade Cloth For
Fall Bearing Blackberries"
1/8/15 SEF&V Conference,
Savannah, GA
10
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After presentation of this Power Point at the
SEFVC January 2015 I had communication
with Ben Martin of Cravo LTD and Fumiomi
Takeda, Appalachian Fruit Research station
Kearneysville WV.
◦ Bottom Line I measured the wrong Temperature.
Air temperature is not what the plant experiences.
The air temperature can influence the experience.
◦ Infrared thermometry is much more appropriate.
◦ The principles of the equation are important to
understand the actual temperature of a fruitand
how it relates to the issues of flower competence,
drupe abortion, white drupes, and sun burn.
SARE#FS13-276 "Shade Cloth For
Fall Bearing Blackberries"
1/8/15 SEF&V Conference,
Savannah, GA
11
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Blackbody ideally absorbs all incident energy
Emissivity – Ratio of energy radiated to the body
and the amount of energy radiated by the body
The net thermal energy radiated by a body depends
on emissivity, Its temperature and the ambient
temperature around the body
The temperature reading by an infrared
thermometer is dependent upon its field of view
The emissivity of an object is determine placing an
thermocouple in the object then aiming the IR
thermometer at the body and adjusting totill the
both readings are equal
SARE#FS13-276 "Shade Cloth For
Fall Bearing Blackberries"
1/8/15 SEF&V Conference,
Savannah, GA
12
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Aluminet Shade cloth appears to increase
both day and night time air temperatures
◦ Based on Stanton and others warmer temperatures
◦ Would decrease flora competence resulting in more
distorted fruit
◦ It suggests that shade cloth could extend the
season by reducing light frost event
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Stanton and others indicated that number of
flower petals, sepals and leaf out growths on
sepals were phenotypic indicators of flower
competence
SARE#FS13-276 "Shade Cloth For
Fall Bearing Blackberries"
1/8/15 SEF&V Conference,
Savannah, GA
13
^
^
Normal Flower
Sepals with leafy outgrowths
SARE#FS13-276 "Shade Cloth For
Fall Bearing Blackberries"
1/8/15 SEF&V Conference,
Savannah, GA
14
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We examine 10 freshly open flowers each
morning counting petals, sepals and if there
out growths on sepals on both Black Magic
and Prime Ark
◦ A normal flower got a rating of 1. Therefore 5
petals, sepals and no out growths
◦ For each additional petal, sepal and the presence of
out growth (yes or no) would get and additional
count
 For example a flower with 6 sepals, 7 petals and an out
growth would be rated as 5
 The 10 flower ratings would be totaled and average #
is reported for each day
SARE#FS13-276 "Shade Cloth For
Fall Bearing Blackberries"
1/8/15 SEF&V Conference,
Savannah, GA
15
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47 days out of 72 days Black Magic flowers
were “closer to normal” than Prime Ark
100
T
e
NOAA box Hi-Lo Average Temperature
Temperature
50
Linear (Hi-Lo
m
p
Hi-Lo Average
Average
0
August
September
October
Temperature)
Floral
7
competence
6
5
black Magic
4
Floral
3
Competence
2
Prime Ark
1
0
8/18/2014
9/18/2014
10/18/2014
SARE#FS13-276 "Shade Cloth For
Fall Bearing Blackberries"
1/8/15 SEF&V Conference,
Savannah, GA
16
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In late October Number of Prime Ark Flowers
declines while Black Magic Continues
blooming
SARE#FS13-276 "Shade Cloth For
Fall Bearing Blackberries"
1/8/15 SEF&V Conference,
Savannah, GA
17
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Based on Power Point presentation Salgado at
SEFVC January 2015 and conversations Jose
Chaparro I have concluded that Black Magic is
a day neutral cultivar. It is not impacted by
either day length (endo dormancy) or cold
temperature (ecto dormancy)
Stand Counts of 2016 floricanes in four
varieties here
This has significant ramifications for cultural
practices for this variety and its possible use
in protected environments
SARE#FS13-276 "Shade Cloth For
Fall Bearing Blackberries"
1/8/15 SEF&V Conference,
Savannah, GA
18
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Blackberry Etch and Broad Mite
Note fine etching which
when drupelet swells,
cracks - mainly on
Black Magic
Note downward cupping leaves
worse on Prime Ark
SARE#FS13-276 "Shade Cloth For
Fall Bearing Blackberries"
1/8/15 SEF&V Conference,
Savannah, GA
19
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There was more green foliage on the plants
under the shade cloth, even in January before
tying up the canes, especially in the Prime
Ark45 than on other floricane varieties
nearby.
◦ This could possibly be significant in terms of
photosynthate going to roots and number strength
of primocanes for the following year.
SARE#FS13-276 "Shade Cloth For
Fall Bearing Blackberries"
1/8/15 SEF&V Conference,
Savannah, GA
20
East – west rows
Retracted for winter/sun
SARE#FS13-276 "Shade Cloth For
Fall Bearing Blackberries"
1/8/15 SEF&V Conference,
Savannah, GA
21
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Vincent, C. I., Garcia, M. E., Johnson, D. T. and Rom, C. R.
Broad Mite on Primo Cane Fruiting Blackberry in Organic
Production in Arkansas. Hort Technology, August 2010 20(4)
pp 718-723
Stanton, M. A., Scheerens, J.C., Funt, R. C., and Clark, J. R.,
Floral Competence Of Primocane-fruiting Blackberries PrimeJan and Prime-Jim Grown at Three Temperature Regimens.
HortScience Vol. 42(3) June 2007 pp 508-513
Clark, J. R., Demchak, K., Finn, C. E., Lowe, J. D., Pomper, K.
W., and Crabtree, S. B. Black Magic (APF-77) Primocane
Fruiting Blackberry. Journal of the American Pomological
Society 68 (3) 2014: pp 163-170
Clark, J. R., and Perkins-Veazie, P. APF-45 (Prime Ark
45)Primocane-fruiting Blackberry. HortScience 45(4) 2011:
pp670-673
SARE#FS13-276 "Shade Cloth For
Fall Bearing Blackberries"
1/8/15 SEF&V Conference,
Savannah, GA
22
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Takeda, Fumiomi, Krewer, G., Barnes, R., Branstrator, J.,
Santos, B., and Glenn, M. D., Wintershading of Blueberry
Plants In the Southeaster United States. (in Press January
2015)
Takeda, Fumiomi, Glenn, D. M., and Tworkoski, T.,
Rotating Cross-arm Trellis Technology for Blackberry
Production. Journal of Berry Research accepted October
2012
Shires, Daniel, Time from Flower to Mature Blackberry
fruit in Ouachita, Von, Navaho, Osage and Natchez
varieties. Power Point Presentation Southeaster Fruit
and Vegetable Conference, Savannah Georgia January 810, 2015
SARE#FS13-276 "Shade Cloth For
Fall Bearing Blackberries"
1/8/15 SEF&V Conference,
Savannah, GA
23
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Salgado, Alejandra, Understanding the Annual Growth Cycle
of the Blackberry. University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Power
Point Presentation at Southeaster Fruit and Vegetable
Conference, Savannah Georgia January 8-10, 2015
Chaparro, Jose, Fruit Breeder, University of Florida, Fruit
Crops Department, Gainesville, FL. Personal communication
Clark, John, University of Arkansas, Department of
Horticulture Breeding Program. Personal Communication.
Southeastern Professional Fruit Workers Conference,
Clarksville, Arkansas. October 2013
Martin, Benjamin,. Cravo Equipment LTD., 30 White Swan Rd,
Brantford, ON, N3T 5L4 Canada, www.Cravo.com 1-519759-8226-ext 260
SARE#FS13-276 "Shade Cloth For
Fall Bearing Blackberries"
1/8/15 SEF&V Conference,
Savannah, GA
24
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The Happy Berry Inc. is a small family farm that markets directly to
the consumer through pick-your-own and pre-picked on-farm sales
(65%), at approximately 4 local farmers markets within 30 miles of
the farm (30%) and a few Road side stands at the bequest of our
customers(<5%). Farm objectives are to be economically viable,
ecologically sound and socially responsible, mainly to our local
community. We believe that crops should be perennial and made to
last. In the future energy intensive transport will be rationed and
reserved for foods that can not be produced locally or where local
food production is more carbon intensive than long distance
transport. As noted in the last slide of this presentation we are
investigating use of living shade and canopy management as slow
follow-on to this project. Something is going on as berries observed
in the first year had no white drupelets, were pretty by local
standards in both varieties. The shade cloth approach is more
carbon intensive and as our ecological thinking progresses we are
considering substituting nut pines for Loblolly and Longleaf pines
now planted. Pines are non epicormic thus enable canopy
management.
SARE#FS13-276 "Shade Cloth For
Fall Bearing Blackberries"
1/8/15 SEF&V Conference,
Savannah, GA
25
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The negatives of on-site living canopy/shade management
will be, labor of canopy management, competition for sun
and water, wind management from wind tower during
inversion frost events and general increase in complexity of
the production system (for example blackberry psyllid
management and greater bird perching/depredation).
The positives are passive frost protection, more carbon
sequestration on site and consequent increase in cationic
exchange capacity, slowing down rain storms thus more
water deposition on-site, reduced ripe fruit loss through
reduce wind in violent summer storms, greater onsite
diversification improving habitat for predator prey
relationships, greater soil genesis through deep root
extraction of minerals from bedrock, circulation of nutrients
like P and K and cooler temperatures.
SARE#FS13-276 "Shade Cloth For
Fall Bearing Blackberries"
1/8/15 SEF&V Conference,
Savannah, GA
26