Study of growth and yield parameters of two cultivars of blueberry in Loukkos region

Abstract

Fruits are one of the essential elements for a balanced diet and are known for their role in the maintenance of the vital functions of the human organism. The nutritional, dietary and therapeutic value of fruits is unanimously accepted. They are often considered “functional foods” thanks to the rich content of various micronutrients such as phenolic compounds (recognized for their strong antioxidant properties), minerals, vitamins, etc. The beneficial effects of blueberry fruits on human health have always been recognized. Fresh blueberry production and export is one crop enterprise identified as a promising new agribusiness for Moroccan growers and exporters. This crop has production, post-harvest and marketing management practices that complement strawberries and fit well with the existing Moroccan export strawberry industry. Blueberry farming in Morocco began in 2008 with 150 ha, and it has currently expanded to over 1900 ha with 19 655 tons of production in 2018. The aim of our work is to identify good cultivars for the Lokkous region, on term of yield and fruit quality. For this, we have studied the growth and yield of two new cultivars, Gupton and Alix blue and compared to star, one reference cultivar of blueberry. Different parameters have been studied such as the number of bunch, length of shoots, yield, fruit size and fruit quality. The results have shown significant difference between cultivars, and good adaptation of the two cultivars in the region.