Differentially Colored Photoselective Nets as a Sophisticated Approach to Improve the Agronomic and Fruit Quality Traits of Potted Blueberries

The usage of photoselective anti-hail nets is a modern approach to protect crops from adverse climatic factors with additional beneficial effects on orchard performance. Therefore, this study explored the impact of photoselective nets (blue, red, pearl, and yellow net) and the black net on the microclimate, plant growth, yield, ripening time, and fruit quality attributes of the blueberry cultivar 'Duke'. The Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density values were elevated under the pearl and yellow nets in both years studied. Average daily air temperatures did not differ between the nets in 2022, while a slight decrease was registered under the black net in 2023. The red net enhanced the average number of younger and total number of shoots per bush and also caused a notable increase in the fruit number and yield per bush, as well as fruit weight, compared to the other tested nets. The pearl net accelerated the onset of ripening in both years studied, while the blue and yellow net delayed ripening in 2022 and 2023, respectively. The blue net was distinguished by the increased blueness of fruit skin and total soluble solids/titratable acidity ratio, while individual sugar types and organic acids were more influenced by the season. The findings indicate that the red net performed the best in terms of most agronomic and biometrical fruit traits of the potted highbush blueberry cultivar 'Duke'.