Employing soilless culture systems in strawberry production.

Abstract

Two techniques of strawberry cultivation in heated greenhouses forout-of-season production in N. Greece were examined. Estimates weremade of the net revenues generated by adopting (1) the vertical bagsoilless culture system (SCS) in which strawberries are grown insuspended bags (2 m long and 16 cm in diameter each containing 24plants) containing perlite and fed from drippers, or (2) the SoilMixture System (SMS) in which plants are grown in 5-litre pots ofsoil mixture given supplementary feeds of the same nutrient solutionas was used in the SCS system. Several approaches to investment appraisalsuch as net present value, internal rate of return, benefit/costratio, payback period, and discounted payback period were employed.The SCS system gave increased production and gross returns. In comparisonwith the SMS system it was an important contributor to farmers' income.