Channel: SciFri

Category: Science & Technology

Tags: heatmainewild blueberryblueberrybiocharblueberriesdowneastclimatecooperative extensionbluesluke groskinirrigationdroughtscience fridayuniversity of mainecropclimate changemulch

Description: After years of frost, fruit flies, record-breaking heat and drought, the wild blueberries of coastal Maine can't seem to catch a break. Analyses by a team of researchers at the University of Maine have shown the clear culprit - climate change - has even heat up the Downeast region faster than the rest of the state.  But unlike their cultivated cousins, which stand several feet tall and can either be bred to tolerate some environmental conditions or irrigated to supply more moisture, Maine's lowbush berries have been growing naturally for tens of thousands of years in quickly draining soils and are near impossible to breed for environmental resistance. Providing some solutions for the berries and the 485 independent growers that depend on the crop for their income, is major goal of the University of Maine's Wild Blueberry extension, which combines applied science with outreach to the farmers.  At the Blueberry Hill lab , doctorate candidate Rafa Tasnim sets up experimental warming biomes to determine the effects additional heat will have on the blueberries while testing layers of water soaking materials such as biochar, compost and mulch which could help the plants retain enough moisture to thrive. Should Rafa's experiments reveal a cost-effective solution to capture and hold moisture in the soils, specialists like Lilly Calderwood will help the farmers to adopt innovations into their daily practices. Produced by Luke Groskin Filmed by Nick Woodward Music by Audio Network Additional Footage and Stills Provided by University of Maine, Nancy Ghertner, Holland Haverkamp, Pond5, Shutterstock, NASA /MODIS US Forestry Service Special Thanks to Rafa Tasnim, Lily Calderwood, Brian Altvater, and the Passamaquoddy Blueberry Company