Method of Silicon Application Affects Quality of Strawberry Daughter Plants during Cutting Propagation in Hydroponic Substrate System

Yali Li,Jie Xiao,Jiangtao Hu,Byoung Ryong Jeong

doi:10.3390/agronomy10111753

Abstract

The beneficial effects that silicon (Si) has on plant growth as well as resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses have been well documented for many crops in recent years. However, few studies focus on the effects of Si on plant growth during the propagation stage of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa, Duchesne). This study was conducted to investigate the optimal method for Si application during the cutting propagation of strawberry in soilless cultivation. Strawberry mother plants were supplied with Si through foliar spray, runner spray, or root drench before the cutting propagation, then half of the daughter plants in each treatment received continued Si supply through foliar spray or through root drench after the cutting propagation. The results showed that the plant height, petiole length and diameter, leaf length and width, shoot fresh and dry weights, and root fresh and dry weights were significantly increased by Si root drench both before and after the cutting propagation. Moreover, plants absorbed more Si by drench than by spray, and the absorbed Si was only able to be transported from the root to the shoot, and from the mother plant to the daughter plant. Further research found that the chlorophyll fluorescence parameter of the maximum quantum efficiency of the photosystem II (Fv/Fm) and the activities of superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, and guaiacol peroxidase were also enhanced while catalase did not change under a high temperature stress in strawberry treated with Si before and after cutting propagation by root drench. Thus, Si application by drenching the roots during the whole propagation period is recommended to increase the quality of the strawberry daughter plants in soilless cultivation.

Highlights

Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa, Duchesne) is an economically important fruit crop contributing to human nutrition and agricultural output
Since the Si content in the roots did not increase after foliar Si spray, we considered that strawberry leaves absorb the Si directly instead of stimulating the plants to absorb Si from the soil, and the Si absorbed by leaves was not transported to the roots
Our results suggested that Si increased plant growth during the cutting propagation, and that the D-D treatment was the best for improving the growth of the daughter plants

Summary

Introduction

Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa, Duchesne) is an economically important fruit crop contributing to human nutrition and agricultural output. The economic value of strawberry is extremely high in Korea. Strawberry plants are mostly propagated through the daughter plants on the runners [2]. Growers start to prepare the mother plants in March to grow the runners and propagate the daughter plants by cutting or pinning in June. The propagated plants are usually kept in a greenhouse until they are transplanted into the soil or hydroponic systems in September. The temperature in greenhouses reaches up to 40 ◦ C during the day in summer, which may lead to morphological and physiological changes due to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) caused by the high temperature stress [3].

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion