Effect of mulching systems on fruit quality and phytochemical composition of newly developed strawberry lines

Abstract

The effects of three mulching systems on total yield, average yield per plant, average fruit weight, soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), firmness and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) of two newly developed lines (‘Orléans’ and ‘Saint Pierre’), one advanced selection (‘SJ8976-1’) and two commonly used cultivars (‘Jewel’ and ‘Kent’) were evaluated. The studied mulching systems were: plastic mulch (PM), mulch with row cover (PMRC), and matted-row system (MRS). Results showed that plastic mulch with row cover (PMRC) generally increased yield per plant, average fruit weight, SSC, firmness and ORAC, but differences varied within harvest times. No significant differences in total yield and TA were observed under the selected mulching systems. Both PMRC and PM accelerated the harvest periods compared to MRS. ‘Kent’ and ‘Jewel’ had the highest total yield while ‘SJ8976-1’ and ‘St-Pierre’ had the highest average fruit weight. The highest SSC, TA and ORAC were found in ‘Jewel’. There was no interaction between the mulching systems and genotypes, indicating that the effect of production system is independent of cultivars. PMRC seems to be a better growing system, improving fruit quality and increasing the nutritional value of all genotypes. By allowing off-season fruit production in cool climates, PMRC can be an alternative method to the costly high tunnels.

Effect of Irrigation Systems and Mulching on Summer Squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) Production in Semi-Arid Areas

“…This agrees with the results found by Anisuzzaman et al (2009) who reported that black plastic mulching accelerated the growth and seed production of onion plants. These findings are similar to the results of Fan et al (2012) who reported an enhancement in plant growth, fruit yield and quality of strawberries grown using different types of mulching. For the weight of fruits only the ETime effect and the interaction between the ETime and the Irri.…”

The Mater-Bi® biodegradable film for strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) mulching: effects on fruit yield and quality

“…Indeed, red and green lettuce showed an increase in flavonoid glycosides and caffeic acid derivatives under a scheduled fertilisation with nitrogen deficiency. On the other hand, other studies showed that some cultivation managements, such as mulching systems could enhance the phytochemical compounds content in strawberry fruits (Anttonen et al, 2006;Fan et al, 2012). The identification of abiotic factors, which are modified by Mater-Bi ® mulch, and their interactions with strawberry physiology will be the objectives of our future research.…”

Effect of Orchard Floor Management Practices on Fruit Production

“…Similarly, the content of vitamin C in 2009 was the same as in 2008 in cover crops on the interval mixture and in cover crops on the interval, mixed grass, and mulching on the tree row. Fan et al, (2012) while studying the effect of mulching systems viz. matted row system, plastic mulch, plastic mulch with row cover on fruit quality and phytochemical composition of newly developed strawberry lines, found that plastic mulch with row cover increased fruit firmness while in matted row system and plastic mulch it was lowest and were statistically at par with each other.…”