Blueberries are the most important fruit crop grown in Georgia, but have little options for organic farmers in terms of disease, pest and nutrient management. This project explored the use of four fish extracts, Omega Grow, Organic Gem, OrganoCide and SeaCide. They were sprayed on the blueberry leaves with backpack sprayers at a rate equivalent to 60-75 gal/A.
These products contribute consistently to leaf disease suppression and nutrition and can have added, more incidental benefits on leaf beetle suppression. There was no clear "winner" among the four formulations, but Omega Grow, OrganoCide and SeaCide were the most effective in impacting Septoria leaf spot and leaf rust. Effects on leaf beetle damage were inconsistent across trials for all products.
The Organic Gem treatment led to consistently higher sodium levels in the leaf tissue. Though plant growth was not effected by the increase in sodiumt levels, Omega Gem should only be applied in rotation with other treatments. Significantly higher levels of potassium were found after the application of some of the fish extract treatments, leading to a possible nutritional benefit.
