Abstract
High quality planting material is the basis for good strawberry yields. The productivity of strawberry mother plants depends on many factors, but there is little published work on the effects of type and initial size of mother plants on the quality of daughter plants. In the presented study, strawberry mother plants (cultivar ‘Elsanta’) were grown in an unheated tunnel in plastic pots filled with peat-based substrate (5 dm<sup>3</sup>). The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of type (fresh-dug plants and frigo) and initial size (A and A+ plants) of strawberry mother plants on selected parameters of daughter plants (crown diameter, fresh and dry weight as well as number and area of leaves). The study was carried out in 2006 and 2007. Strawberry mother plants were planted in the second decade of April and daughter plants were detached in the second decade of August. All measurements were performed on the second daughter plant on the mother plant runner. Statistical analysis showed that type of mother plants had a significant effect on number of leaves in daughter plants. Daughter plants obtained from mother plants established from fresh-dug plants had the highest number of leaves. The initial size of mother plants significantly influenced the fresh and dry weight of daughter plants. Smaller mother plants (“A-size”) produced daughter plants with higher fresh and dry weight. The results obtained in the second year of the study were affected by high incidence of powdery mildew.
Highlights
Results of many studies show that low quality of transplants is the main limiting factor of strawberry crops [1,2]
The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of type and initial size (A and A+ plants) of strawberry mother plants on selected parameters of daughter plants such as crown diameter, fresh and dry weight as well as number and area of leaves
The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of type and initial size – crown diameter (“A” with a crown diameter of 10–15 mm and “A+” with a crown diameter > 15 mm) of strawberry mother plants on the crown diameter of daughter plants, their fresh and dry weight as well as number and area of leaves
Summary
Results of many studies show that low quality of transplants is the main limiting factor of strawberry crops [1,2]. A number of components have influenced strawberry yield, including type of planting material [3,4,5], crown diameter [2,6], initial plant weight [3,7,8], and number of leaves [9] New planting technologies, such as containerized (plug) plants which are grown from the rooted tips of runners ( called ‘runner plants’ or ‘daughter plants’) in cell-trays, have been developed for strawberry production and they are replacing traditional bare-root transplants [9,10,11,12,13]. The use of containerized plug transplants improves plant survival at planting [6] They are easier to plant, require less irrigation during crop establishment, and produce higher fruit yield [3,6,14]. Plants propagated from plugs give higher early fruit yield [15,16] and picking costs are reduced up to 40%, because more fruit can be harvested per unit time [9]
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