Efficiency of Strawberry Cultivation under the Effect of Different Types of Plants in a Soilless System in the High-Altitude Regions of Southern Brazil

Abstract

By analyzing the growth and development of different types of strawberry plants, the researchers were able to evaluate the interference with the horticultural potential of the cultivar ‘Albion’. The five treatments that have been studied corresponded to different types of strawberry plants: mini plants in trays with young roots, plants in trays with mature roots and an initial reduction of fertigation, plants in trays with mature roots, plants with bare roots, and plants in trays with mature roots preserved by the cold. In bags containing coconut fiber, the experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with three replications. The attributes evaluated were the total yield per plant, the total yield per plant with fruits above 10 g, the total yield per hectare, the total yield per hectare with fruits above 10 g, the average plant diameter, the average number of buds per plant, and the average number of stolons per plant. There were no significant effects among the plant types concerning yield production. Plants in cold-preserved trays with mature roots showed a higher number of buds than plants in trays with mature roots. Cold-preserved tray plants with mature roots produced the highest number of stolons, followed by bare-root plants. It is concluded that the types of strawberry seedlings did not influence the productive performance of the strawberry ‘Albion’ cultivar. However, cold-preserved tray plants with mature roots showed better vegetative performance, with a yield of a higher number of buds and stolons. However, the results were influenced by the agroclimatic conditions of the producing region; due to climatic interference in the behaviour of the plants about the factors studied, it is recommended to repeat the experiment for a better understanding of the objectives.