NSAC is pleased to announce the initiation of a major project in alternative weed management technologies. The project, being led by Dr. Nathan Boyd, Vegetation Management Research Chair with the Department of Environmental Sciences, intends to develop integrated approaches to weed management for lowbush blueberry. This is a three-year initiative which is being supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Oxford Frozen Foods Ltd., Bragg Lumber Company Ltd. and the Wild Blueberry Producers Association of Nova Scotia (WPBANS).

The wild blueberry is one of the most important fruit crops of Quebec and the four Atlantic Provinces. Weeds are the major yield-limiting factor in blueberry fields and current weed management practices in lowbush blueberry rely predominately on broadcast applications of a limited number of herbicides. Effective weed management must be balanced with the desire to market blueberries as a wild, healthy and low-input product. In order to address these growing issues, the largest grower and processor within the industry have set a goal to reduce agrochemical use by 40%. In order for this goal to be achieved, alternative technologies or herbicides with different modes of action need to be evaluated for potential use alone or in conjunction with current practices.

Management of a diverse weed population with reduced agrochemical inputs will require an integration of several management strategies. These strategies include increased herbicide use efficiency, replacement of old technology with new reduced risk and lower input agrochemicals, substitution of herbicides with other weed management techniques, site specific application of agrochemicals or, finally, redesign of the cropping system to reduce the need for herbicides.

“The two primary objectives of this research initiative are to determine the impact of site specific applications of herbicides and fertilizers on weed patch and population dynamics,” says Dr. Boyd. “We will also be developing integrated weed management programs for the management of specific weed species.”

This research initiative is part of a multi-disciplinary research effort at NSAC in collaboration with Oxford Frozen Foods and WBPANS. Oxford Frozen Foods Ltd. is an internationally based food company specializing in wild blueberries. WBPANS represents over 1000 blueberry growers in Nova Scotia and serves as the voice of the wild blueberry industry with government and the general public. This collaboration between industry and research was initiated to develop management techniques that improve land stewardship practices, reduce agrochemical inputs, and increase blueberry yields.