In the ever-evolving landscape of agricultural science, blueberries have emerged as a crop of significant interest, not just for their nutritional value but also for their potential to integrate cutting-edge technologies. A recent bibliometric analysis published in *Horticulturae* sheds light on the scientific evolution and intellectual structure of blueberry research, offering insights that could reshape the future of the agriculture sector.
The study, led by David Alejandro Pinzon, a student of Agroindustrial Administration at the Instituto de Proyección Regional y Educación a Distancia (IPRED) at the Universidad Industrial de Santander in Colombia, analyzed 474 documents indexed in Scopus between 1987 and 2025. The research employed a systematic search strategy based on taxonomic, agronomic, and technological descriptors, followed by data cleaning and analysis using Bibliometrix and VOSviewer. This comprehensive approach allowed the team to examine temporal growth, geographical distribution, institutional and author leadership, and thematic structure within the field.
The findings reveal a sustained upward trend in scientific output, with a peak of 42 articles published in 2024. This trend underscores the growing importance of blueberries as a model crop for interdisciplinary research. “The consolidation of blueberry as a model crop is evident,” Pinzon noted, highlighting the crop’s strong linkage with emerging technologies in precision agriculture and postharvest management.
Research articles accounted for over 75% of the total documents, indicating a field that is both application-oriented and experimentally grounded. The dominance of Agricultural and Biological Sciences (382 documents) was followed by Engineering (70) and Biochemistry, Genetics, and Molecular Biology (66). This distribution reflects an increasing integration of crop management, technological innovation, and food science, which could have significant commercial implications for the agriculture sector.
Thematic mapping identified five main clusters: physiology and health, plant protection, agronomic management and digitalization, processing and stability of phenolic compounds, and analytical characterization. These clusters highlight the interdisciplinary nature of blueberry research and its potential to drive advancements in various aspects of agriculture.
The analysis also revealed gaps in the integration of physiology, food science, and metabolomics, as well as in the biological validation of biomarkers and the study of peripheral *Vaccinium* species. Addressing these gaps could open new avenues for research and development, further enhancing the commercial value of blueberries.
Overall, the field exhibits a consolidated and sustainability-oriented interdisciplinarity, offering opportunities to advance toward more comparable analytical protocols, digital traceability, and artificial-intelligence-assisted decision support along the blueberry value chain. As the agriculture sector continues to evolve, the insights from this bibliometric analysis could play a pivotal role in shaping future developments, ensuring that blueberries remain a high-value crop with significant commercial potential.
The study, published in *Horticulturae*, underscores the importance of interdisciplinary research in driving innovation and sustainability in the agriculture sector. With the leadership of David Alejandro Pinzon and the support of the Instituto de Proyección Regional y Educación a Distancia (IPRED) at the Universidad Industrial de Santander, this research sets the stage for future advancements in blueberry science and technology.