Energy-saving seedling production system for super-forcing cultivation of june-bearing commercial strawberry

Abstract

Previously, we showed that a reduction of FaTFL2 (homolog of Arabidopsis thaliana TFL1) expression is a key signal for flowering in domesticated octaploid strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa). Since FaTFL2 expression seemed to be regulated by temperature rather than by photoperiod, we investigated whether down regulation of FaTFL2 and floral meristem generation occurred at different temperature conditions. In addition to the conditions for a normal super-forcing cultivation system of an 8-hour photoperiod and day/night temperatures of 31.2 or 30/15 °C, flowering also was generated under the same photoperiod and day/night temperatures of day/night-half/ night-half temperatures of 30/15/25 °C conditions. We demonstrate that the new superforcing cultivation system is energy saving based on the reduction of FaTFL2 expression.