Strawberry production in soilless culture systems

Abstract

Two greenhouse strawberry production studies were performed. In the first study, strawberry plants were grown in filtered aquaculture effluent. Fresh-dug plants of cvs Chandler and Sweet Charlie were transplanted on 1 Oct. 1995 in vertically-stacked square pots (28 plants/m2) containing coarse perlite. The plants were fertigated continuously with commercial nutrient solution (pH 6.4 and Ec=0.6 mS/cm) or with once-through aquaculture effluent(pH 7.2, Ec=1.6 mS/cm, 6 mg/1 total suspended solids). Since nutrient concentrations in aquaculture effluent were about 15% of the levels measured in commercial nutrient solution the following nutrients were supplemented (mg/1): NO 3-N (18), P (0.7), K (5), Ca (55), Mg (20) and S (9) and all micronutrients. However, the growth and fruit production (200 g/plant) in plants fertigated with aquaculture effluent was low due to poor light conditions in the middle and bottom portions of the tower system and deficient levels of tissue N and P. In the second study, fresh-dug and runner-tip plants of cvs Camarosa, Chandler, and Sweet Charlie were grown with a continuously flowing commercial nutrient solution in nutrient film technique (NFT) troughs (13 plants/m2) from October 1996 to May 1997. 'Sweet Charlie' produced fruit the earliest, beginning in early December, and 'Camarosa' produced the most fruit (445 g/plant). Generally runner-tip plants performed better than fresh-dug plants. These studies indicate that a soilless strawberry production system for off-season fruiting in the middle Atlantic coast region is possible.