Irrigation Levels and Abscisic Acid Effects on the Yield and Fruit Quality of Strawberry

Abstract

In this study, the effects of four irrigation regimes (IR125, IR100, IR75 and IR50) and Absisic Acid (ABA) application on the cv. Rubygem strawberries, considering yield, and some fruit quality characteristics (Soluble solid content, fruit firmness, pH and color properties) were investigated under Spanish type high tunnels in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. From March to May, 20 mol L-1 of Abscisic Acid was administered three times via foliar application. The treatments IR125, IR100, IR75, and IR50 received 712, 575, 438, and 301 mm of water, respectively, during the trial.. The highest average yield per plant was obtained from ABA IR125 combination as 1124.5 (g/plant). It was determined that the ABA application increased the yield by approximately 8%, although it was not statistically significant compared to the control conditions. In addition to this, abscisic acid applications had no statistically significant influence on pH, fruit color, fruit firmness, or fruit weight parameters, while a SSC parameters statistically significant effected. Based on our findings, it is expected that the IR125 and IR100 irrigation applications will be applied more frequently in future investigations. Furthermore, the findings suggest that combining ABA with the proper amount of irrigation water, as well as ABA applications in water stress or multiple stress circumstances, may be useful in increasing plant adaptation capacity