IntroductionStrawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) production is in constant increase, primarily due to increasing consumption of the fruit and its high profitability. Intensive farming practices that result in high yield and quality also require extensive use of chemical fertilizers, which are costly and create environmental problems. Therefore, there has been a recent, growing interest in various biofertilizers (microbe inoculants). Use of biofertilizers containing various genera of bacteria, like Pseudomonas, Azotobacter, Bacillus, Derxia, and Klebsiella, has been found to be beneficial for plant growth, yield, fruit quality of strawberries, and leaf P and Zn content (Esitken et al., 2010;Pešaković et al., 2013).The other equally important aspect of intensifying strawberry production is the selection of high-yielding cultivars with flavorful fruits that are more desirable to consumers. In this regard, breeding programs are based on improving yield and fruit quality characteristics (sensorial and nutritional), adapting to different growing systems, and ecological production (Capocasa et al., 2008;Magnani et al., 2009;Luković et al., 2012). Furthermore, technologies should be adjusted to a single cultivar or a group of cultivars with similar requirements.Considerations of biofertilizer impacts on chemical fruit characteristics and health benefits of strawberry cultivars have also received attention and are important directions for future research (Anttonen et al., 2006;Agulheiro-Santos, 2009). The objective of this study was to highlight how various bacteria can be used in biofertilization aimed at increasing strawberry production through regulation of vegetative development and how these bacteria can improve the nutritional fruit quality of three strawberry cultivars. In addition to this, we wanted to investigate the combined effect of biofertilizer and cultivar on certain vegetative, generative, and fruit quality traits in strawberries.
Materials and methods
Plant materialAn open field trial was conducted at the experimental plantation of the Fruit Research Institute, Čačak, Serbia (43°53ʹN, 20°20ʹE, 225 m a.s.l.). Soil physicochemical analysis was performed prior to trial establishment. The soil's macronutrient content was determined according to standard laboratory protocols and methods. The trial was conducted on alluvial soil with a sandy-loam texture