ChileanJAR

In a six year-old rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei R.) orchard, cultivars "Tifblue" and "Premier", the variability ofseasonal nutrient demand and seasonalleafcontent of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu and B as a function oftime were measured in the 1995/96 season. Leafsamples were taken every 20 days. The nutrients had the same tendency throughout the season in both cultivars. In general, the tendency of N, P, K, Mn and Zn was to decrease before harvest, to stabilize at harvest and to increase slightly after harvest. Mg, Ca and B increased as the growing season progressed, while Cu presented an inverse relationship. Fe showed high variability without a clear tendency during the season. The period of greatest stability of macro and micronutrients was during the harvest (January-February). The average macronutrient demand ofboth cultivars per ton offruit production was 4.7; 0.35; 5.2; 2.8 and 0.74 kg t^-1 fruit for N, P, K, Ca and Mg, respectively. The demand for micronutrients fluctuated between 6 to 60 g tI of production.