Potting substrate effect on yield and quality of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) in terrace gardening

Abstract

Terrace gardening or rooftop gardening is becoming popular in urban and peri-urban areas of metro cities worldwide including in India. Among various crops suitable for growing in terrace garden, strawberry is a popular one as being an important annual herbaceous plant with delicious fruits which can be easily grown in pots or containers including grow bags filled with different pottingsubstrates. In the present study, different combinations of soil, organic manure (vermi-compost and FYM) and cocopeat were tested for growth, yield and physico-chemical characteristics of two strawberry cultivars (Winter Dawn and Sweet Charlie). Winter dawn was found better than Sweet Charlie for measured growth and yield parameters, and potting substrates had similar effect on both the cultivars as no interaction effect was noticed. Combination of Soil + vermi-compost + cocopeat or soil + FYM + cocopeat in equal proportion (1:1:1) was found most appropriate potting substrate for strawberry cultivation, hence suggested as a suitable growing medium for production of strawberries in terrace or rooftop gardening in peri-urban areas of Delhi/ National Capital Territory. Further investigation is needed to standardize cost-effective management agro-techniques of strawberry cultivation in terrace garden involving some other cultivars, nutrient management and environment protective structures and so on

The Influence of Container Types and Potting Media on the Biometric, Phenological and Yield Parameters of Strawberry Cv. Winter Dawn

“…Maher et al [13] revealed that perlite (75 %) + cocopeat (25 %) + jeevambrit resulted in a maximum fruit yield per plant. Similar findings have been reported by [15], [22] and [16].…”

“…A similar result was reported by Hassan et al [21] that utilizing coconut husk resulted in the largest plant height in strawberry, whereas soil cultivation produced the lowest. Kumar et al [22] indicates that highest plant height, was significantly recorded in Winter Dawn than Sweet Charlie in the potting substrates which consist of soil, vermicompost and cocopeat. Similar result was reported by Sharma et al [16] that highest plant height was recorded in the plant grown in PVC pots with a growing media of cocopeat, perlite and vermicompost in the ratio of 2:1:1.…”

Effects of Different Irrigation Rates on Remontant Strawberry Cultivars Grown in Soil

“…In addition, in this case, "Monterey" showed a significant sensitivity to water shortage at W60 compared to W100 (Table 2). As already described [47,48], water shortages tended to influence the vegetative structure of the plants, indicated by the lower plant height and leaf number, possibly leading to a reduction in photosynthesis [49]. Therefore, when the water supply is low, the plant's habit is more compact.…”

Bioactive Compounds Biosynthesis and Metabolism in Fruit and Vegetables

“…Riso et al (2004) observed that the phytochemicals in tomatoes, in particular lycopene, reduces reactive oxygen species (ROS), thus avoiding cellular damage; however, several other mechanisms of healthy carotenoid action have been suggested (Krinsky and Johnson, 2005). With lower water availability, a higher ascorbic acid content was found during fruit ripening (Kumar et al, 2012). In a study conducted by Helyes et al (2014), the β-carotene level was positively influenced by water stress.…”