International Blueberry Conference 2024 will have a two-day formula.
The first day (March, 7) will be held at the Mazurkas Hotel located in Ożarów Mazowiecki near Warsaw. During the conference knowledge will be provided in 16 lectures by the best blueberry experts.
The second practical day (March, 8) is a meeting at a blueberry plantation. There all the participants will have an opportunity to witness machine demonstrations as well as bush pruning workshops. The International Blueberry Conference in Poland is considered the most important blueberry industry event. It's worth being there!
March 7, 2024 Conference Day
Place: Mazurkas Hotel, Ozarow Mazowiecki/Poland
- 9.00-9.15 a.m. Welcome of participants and beginning of the Conference
- 9.15-9.40 a.m. Protection of blueberry plantations against diseases - current recommendations - Dr. Monika Kaluzna, Institute of Horticulture, Skierniewice / Poland
- 9.40-10.10 a.m. Is it worth investing? Production profitability analysis, based on own experience - Mirosław Garlinski, blueberry plantation in Doleck / Poland
- 10.10-10.30 a.m. Practically about fertigation. It's not that difficult - Michał Wojcieszek, Yara Poland
- 10.30-11.00 a.m. Management techniques to optimize soil pH and nutrient availability in organic plantings – Dr. David R. Bryla Research Horticulturist, United States Department of Agriculture/USA
- 11.00 -11.15 a.m. Summary and discussion
- 11.15-11.45 a.m. Coffee break
- 11.45-12.00 p.m. Why 10 tons? Production profitability for various plantation models (introduction to the debate) – Dr. Dariusz Paszko, University of Life Sciences, Lublin / Poland
- 12.00-12.30 p.m. 10 tons per hectare is no longer enough – debate
- Moderator: Dominika Kozarzewska
- Participants: Leon Schrijnwerkers / Netherlands, Andrzej Trela / Poland, Krzysztof Zabowka / Poland
- 12.30-12.50 p.m. Are innovations needed? Novelties included in the Blueberry Factory project – Dr. Paweł Krawiec, Horti Team / Poland
- 12.50-1.10 p.m. Climate change challenges in horticulture - Anna Sierpinska, Nauka o klimacie/Poland
- 1.10-1.30 p.m. The evolution of blueberry protection in response to growing market requirements – Krzysztof Krupa, Syngenta / Poland
- 13.30-14.00 Strategies for mitigating heat damage in blueberry fruit – Dr. David R. Bryla Research Horticulturist, United States Department of Agriculture/USA
- 2.00-2.15 p.m. Summary and discussion
- 2.15-3.30 p.m. Lunch break
- 3.30-3.55 p.m. Optimal use of pollinating insects – Przemyslaw Kapka / Poland
- 3.55-4.15 p.m. Changes on the variety market. Why are they needed? – Teun Leenders, Fall Creek Farm / Netharlands
- 4.15-4.40 p.m. What decisions can we make today to ensure that the Polish blueberry industry will be thriving in 2030? – Dominika Kozarzewska, Core Team / Polskie Jagody & Mariusz Podymniak, Core Tem / Jagodnik / Poland
- 4.40-5.00 p.m. UNIQ systems for the internal quality selection of your blueberries. Taste sorting as never before - Laura Vignoli, Unitec s.p.a./Italy
- 5.00-5.25 p.m. How to effectively recruit workers for plantations. Is only money important? – Wieslaw Brzozowy, Fieldstone /Polska
- 5.25-6.00 p.m. Maintaining the quality of blueberries after harvest and the possibility of long-term storage – Dr. Bruno Defilippi Bruzzone, Centro Regional de Investigación INIA La Platina / Chile
- 5.00-6.15 p.m. Summary and discussion
- 6.15-6.30 p.m. End of the conference part
- 7.30 p.m. Gala dinner – Mazurkas Hotel
March 8, 2024 Practical Day
Place: Blueberry plantation in Doleck – Anna Kowalska and Mirosław Garlinski
- 10.00 a.m. Beginning of the meeting and welcoming participants
- Visiting a 20-hectare blueberry plantation
- Pruning demonstrations – group 1. Leon Schijnwerkers / Schrijnwerkers Plants
- Pruning demonstration – group 2. Marcin Wereszczuk / Fall Creek
- Machine shows
- Replacing plants with different varieties - demonstration of technology for clearing old plantings and preparing the site for new blueberies (removing bushes, loosening the soil, organic fertilization, forming beds and covering them with agrotextile, planting new seedlings)
- A warm meal
- 3.00 p.m. End of the meeting
