Runner Plant Production and the Effect of Light Intensity on Flower and Fruit Development in Day-neutral Strawberries PDF Download

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Book Description
The development of an economical system for the production of disease-free nursery plants of day-neutral strawberry cultivars is vital for large-scale production in the southeastern United States. This study investigated the effects of plastic mulches, runner harvest method, and deblossoming on runner formation in day-neutral strawberry cultivars at three locations in North Carolina (Laurel Springs, Kinston, and Reidsville) chosen to represent the three major climatic regions. The day-neutral cultivars 'Aromas', 'Diamante', and 'Seascape' were used along with the junebearing cultivar 'Chandler' for comparison. Each cultivar was established in single rows in 20-plant plots with four replications per mulch treatment (black plastic, white-on-black plastic, or bare ground). The experiment was a split-split-split plot design with mulch treatment at a particular location representing the main plot while cultivar, runner harvest method, and flower removal represented the sub plot, sub-sub plot, and sub-sub-sub plot treatments, respectively. Harvest method was runner removal at three-week intervals versus a once-over final harvest. Flower removal was initial flower removal only versus periodic removal. Soil, canopy, and air temperatures along with nutrient status were recorded for comparison. Results showed runner plant yields were similar and higher for Laurel Springs and Kinston than Reidsville. At Laurel Springs the black plastic treatment yielded the most runner plants, while the white-on-black plastic produced the most at Kinston. The day-neutral cultivar 'Aromas' produced runner plants almost exclusively. 'Diamante' produced runner plants as well as fruit, while 'Seascape' produced fruit with little runner plant production. The once-over harvest method resulted in nearly double the amount of runner plants as the intermittent harvest method, and flower removal was impractical. Temperature data revealed that in warmer climates the black plastic was limiting to runner pl.