ABSTRACT
The wild lowbush blueberry is the most important fruit crop of Maine, Quebec and the four Atlantic Canadian provinces with over 53,000 ha (132,000 acres) under management with a mean annual production of 65,000 tonnes (Yarborough, 2003), although some recent crops have exceeded 88,000 tonnes. Unlike other fruit crops, commercial fields have been developed from native stands on deforested or abandoned agricultural land (Hall, 1959; Hall et al., 1979), and commercial fields are comprised of numerous distinct and variable clones (Hepler and Yarborough, 1991; Nams, 1994). Crop cover and yield have been increased over time by various management practices that include land improvements, pruning, fertility management, pollination, and control of insects, diseases and weeds (Barker et al., 1964; Blatt et al., 1989; Yarborough, 1996a). Also unique to lowbush blueberry production is the 2-year crop cycle, where the plants are pruned to near ground level by either burning or flail mowing to stimulate new shoot production in the first or vegetative year. The plants bloom and produce
fruit in the second year. Weedy vegetation has traditionally been (Belzile, 1951; Chandler and Mason, 1946; Kinsman, 1986; 1993), and continues to be, a major problem affecting blueberry productivity and management (Bouchard, 1986; Jensen, 1985; Trevett, 1972), despite the introduction of some effective herbicides during the last fifty years. In this review we will examine the origin and nature of vegetation in lowbush blueberry fields, including some aspects of the crop, and how vegetation is changing in response to changes in production practices. We will also discuss weed control practices, particularly the introduction and use of herbicides, and their effects and consequences.
