{"id":255114,"date":"2026-10-06T11:04:58","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T10:04:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.futurecobioscience.com\/?p=255114"},"modified":"2026-10-09T08:11:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T07:11:09","slug":"biostimulation-in-blueberry-under-stress-how-to-support-productive-continuity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.futurecobioscience.com\/en\/biostimulation-in-blueberry-under-stress-how-to-support-productive-continuity\/","title":{"rendered":"Biostimulation in Blueberry Under Stress: How to Support Productive Continuity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Biostimulation in blueberry under stress addresses a specific challenge: helping the crop maintain the processes on which production depends when environmental conditions become adverse. A stress episode can slow growth or alter fruit development, and its consequences may persist beyond the moment when the stress occurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maintaining productive continuity means preserving the plant\u2019s ability to progress through its cycle while limiting the disturbances that may compromise yield and quality. To achieve this, crop management must address both the immediate impact of stress and the subsequent recovery of the crop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this context, biostimulation can help sustain crop activity as part of an integrated agronomic strategy. Understanding when it can add value and what results it delivers under field conditions is key to incorporating it effectively into crop management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stress ends, but its effects can continue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Resuming irrigation does not always mean that blueberry plants immediately recover their previous level of activity. In a trial with container-grown \u2018Bluecrop\u2019 plants, Mingeau, Perrier and Am\u00e9glio (2001) observed that water deficit rapidly reduced transpiration and could stop both shoot elongation and stem diameter growth. Recovery depended on the severity of the stress and the stage at which it occurred: while recovery was nearly complete under moderate stress, after severe early stress, transpiration remained below that of the control for more than 60 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The timing of the water deficit also influenced its productive consequences. During fruit growth and ripening, both average berry weight and berry size were reduced. When the deficit coincided with floral induction, the effects extended into the following season: a 20-day stress period reduced the number of flower buds by 19% under moderate stress and by 47% under severe stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These results help define what is at stake when discussing productive continuity: the extent to which crop activity is limited, how long recovery takes, and which processes are compromised during that interval. From a crop management perspective, both the severity of the deficit and the developmental stage at which it occurs matter, as does the recovery window available before the next phase begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mingeau, M., Perrier, C. & Am\u00e9glio, T. (2001). Evidence of drought-sensitive periods from flowering to maturity on highbush blueberry. Scientia Horticulturae<\/em>, 89, 23\u201340.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

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Sustaining photosynthetic activity to support fruit development<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

During blueberry development, productive continuity also depends on the ability of the leaves to maintain carbon assimilation. When heat stress limits this function, berry growth can be compromised even while the crop continues progressing towards harvest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gonz\u00e1lez-Villagra et al. (2024) observed this relationship in \u2018Legacy\u2019 plants exposed for 20 days to daytime temperatures approximately 5\u00b0C higher than those of the control. At the end of the trial, CO\u2082 assimilation had decreased by 45% and stomatal conductance by 35.2%. Under the same treatment, berries showed approximately 39% lower fresh weight and a 13% reduction in equatorial diameter. The authors suggest that the reduction in photosynthetic activity may help explain the lower fruit growth observed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These results illustrate one of the key objectives of stress management: preserving the physiological functions that support production during periods of high demand. From this perspective, the value of biostimulation lies in assessing whether it can help maintain these functions and whether this response is accompanied by improvements in growth, yield or quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gonz\u00e1lez-Villagra, J. et al. (2024). Diurnal High Temperatures Affect the Physiological Performance and Fruit Quality of Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum<\/em> L.) cv. Legacy. Plants<\/em>, 13, 1846.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biostimulation with Botamisol Pro 80 in blueberry: field results from Peru<\/h2>\n\n\n
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To explore how the response to biostimulation is expressed under field conditions, two demonstrations were carried out in Peru in 2025 with Botamisol Pro 80 on the blueberry varieties Sekoya Pop and Manila. The evaluations focused on two aspects related to productive continuity: plant physiological activity and vegetative growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Botamisol Pro 80<\/a><\/strong> is a biostimulant with a high concentration of free amino acids of plant origin, designed to provide metabolic support during periods of high physiological demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The variables evaluated included stomatal conductance, shoot length and number of shoots. Assessing them together makes it possible to explore whether the physiological response following application is accompanied by changes in vegetative development. This approach helps evaluate crop response beyond a single indicator and provides context for the potential role of biostimulation within agronomic management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sekoya Pop: longer shoots at the end of the monitoring period<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the Sekoya Pop demonstration, plants treated with Botamisol Pro 80 developed longer shoots than those in the reference treatment. At the final evaluation, shoots reached an average length of 17.6 cm compared with 11.9 cm in the reference, a difference of 5.7 cm, equivalent to an approximately 48% greater final shoot length.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the start of the monitoring period, shoot lengths were similar: 3.5 cm in treated plants and 3.2 cm in the reference. During subsequent evaluations, the difference increased, showing greater shoot elongation with Botamisol Pro 80 under the conditions of this demonstration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stomatal conductance was also measured as an indicator of how readily leaves exchange gases through the stomata. Values were similar between treatments, although Botamisol Pro 80 showed slightly higher readings after the first measurement.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Manila: more shoots and stable stomatal conductance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the Manila demonstration, plants treated with Botamisol Pro 80 had an average of 23.7 shoots at the end of the monitoring period, compared with 21.8 in the reference treatment. This represents an average difference of 1.9 shoots, approximately 9% more under the conditions evaluated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More stable stomatal conductance was also observed, an indicator related to gas exchange in the leaves. In treated plants, values remained around 500 mmol\/m\u00b2\u00b7s, while in the reference treatment they decreased from approximately 513 to 450 mmol\/m\u00b2\u00b7s during the monitoring period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The observed response therefore combined a higher final number of shoots with the maintenance of stomatal conductance, providing complementary information on both vegetative development and the physiological behaviour of the crop.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Before and after stress: supporting blueberry productive continuity with Botamisol Pro 80<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Maintaining productive continuity requires attention to two key moments: preparing the crop for adverse conditions and supporting the recovery of its activity once those conditions have passed. Within this approach, Botamisol Pro 80 can be incorporated into the crop management programme as metabolic support before a foreseeable stress episode or during the subsequent recovery period, when the objective is to support the resumption of vegetative development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The demonstrations carried out in Peru provide relevant results in this regard: greater final shoot length in Sekoya Pop and a higher number of shoots, together with more stable stomatal conductance, in Manila. These observations support its potential role in accompanying crop development, although they do not establish the most effective application timing for a specific stress event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposed approach is to integrate biostimulation according to plant status and crop stage, alongside irrigation management, nutrition and environmental conditions. The objective is to help blueberry plants maintain or recover the processes that support their development and production capacity during subsequent stages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From shoot growth to reproductive potential<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In blueberry, observing a shoot means looking beyond vegetative growth: the flower buds it carries will contribute to production in the following cycle. Nemoto et al. studied this relationship in \u2018Tifblue\u2019 Rabbiteye blueberry and found that the number of flower buds increased with shoot length up to a certain range, but decreased when shoots exceeded approximately 70\u201380 cm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study also identified starch granules in the cortex, xylem and, at higher density, in the pith. Although these observations come from a different blueberry type and cultivation conditions than those of Sekoya Pop and Manila, they help illustrate that the agronomic objective is not simply to achieve more growth, but rather to promote balanced shoot development, allowing shoots to mature, accumulate reserves and carry flower buds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From this perspective, the greater shoot length observed in Sekoya Pop and the higher number of shoots recorded in Manila provide early indicators of the vegetative response to Botamisol Pro 80.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nemoto, K. et al. (2022). Relationships among Shoot Growth and Flower Bud Formation of Rabbiteye Blueberries. Horticultural Research (Japan)<\/em>, 21, 43\u201348.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A world of possibilities<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Every farm has its own conditions and production objectives. At Futureco Bioscience, we make our global expertise and broad portfolio of biostimulants available to help identify the solutions best suited to your crop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our technical team can help you determine when and how to integrate them into your crop management programme, from preparation ahead of stress to support during recovery, with one objective: helping maintain the productive continuity of your blueberry crop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Request personalised support<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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