Influence of organic fertilizers and silicon on the physiology, yield, and nutraceutical quality of the strawberry crop

Abstract

A suitable combination of organic sources of nutrients can allow an adequate growth, yield of the strawberry crop, and decrease the use of chemical fertilizers to the benefit of the environment and consumers. Likewise, silicon can help plants to withstand adverse environmental, biological, and edaphic conditions, increasing and improving production quality. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of three sources of organic fertilization: one of animal origin (fish); one of vegetable origin (corn), and one of animal and vegetable origin (fish - corn) plus a chemical treatment such as control (Steiner), with three silicon concentrations of 0, 15 and 20 ppm. Growth parameters, physiological parameters, as well as nutraceutical performance and quality were evaluated in strawberry fruits of the Camino Real cultivar, under a completely randomized design with factorial arrangement (4 x 3). The results of vegetative growth and physiological parameters of the treatments with organic fertilization showed statistically equal values ​​to the control treatment, likewise for the yield and nutraceutical quality. The addition of silicon to the doses studied did not cause effects on any of the variables studied. The results suggest that it is totally feasible to replace chemical fertilization with organic, obtaining identical results.