Growing under photoselective nets affects the gas exchange and chemical composition of the leaves of highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) before and after harvest

Smrke, Tina (author), Šircelj, Helena (author), Laznik, Žiga (author), Veberič, Robert (author), Grohar, Mariana Cecilia (author), Jakopič, Jerneja (author)

The use of photoselective nets in highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) orchards could affect the light properties below the nets, along with the plants’ physiological processes and the chemical composition of their leaves. In our research, we compared the effects of black, red, yellow, and white exclusion nets with full-sun conditions (control) on light quality and quantity and the performance of blueberry ‘Bluecrop’ leaves over two consecutive years. The light properties were found to be altered by the nets. The net photosynthesis and leaf gas exchange did not differ among the treatments in 2022. In 2023, the lowest net photosynthesis was measured in the leaves of plants under the control treatment (7.08 µmol m$^{−2}$ s$^{−1}$) before harvest and under the black (3.01 µmol m$^{−2}$ s$^{−1}$) and red nets (3.36 µmol m$^{−2}$ s$^{−1}$) after harvest. At the same time, plants without fruit exhibited significantly lower values of carbon assimilation. The highest chlorophyll fluorescence value was measured in the plants under the red net (0.59) before harvest and under the white exclusion net (0.40) after harvest. Among the measured chloroplast pigments, zeaxanthin increased under the yellow net and the control treatment in 2022, while in 2023, it increased under the red net, white exclusion net, and control treatment before harvest. The total phenolics differed significantly among the treatments across all three sampling dates, with the highest contents measured before harvest in 2023. These promising results indicate that other blueberry cultivars and colored photoselective nets should also be examined in future experiments.

• Language: English
• Keywords: ‘Bluecrop’, exclusion net, light properties, net photosynthesis, photosynthetic pigments, phenolics
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 12 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 166, art. 127565
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-167525
• UDC: 634.73
• ISSN on article: 1161-0301
• DOI: 10.1016/j.eja.2025.127565
• COBISS.SI-ID: 227405315
• Publication date in RUL: 26.02.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: European journal of agronomy
• Shortened title: Eur. j. agron.
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 1161-0301
• COBISS.SI-ID: 920108

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: ameriška borovnica, protitočne mreže, fotoselektivne mreže, fotosinteza, izmenjava plinov, kemična sestava, fenolne spojine, fenoli, Vaccinium corymbosum