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See more from this Division: S08 Nutrient Management & Soil & Plant Analysis
See more from this Session: S4/S8 Graduate Student Oral Competition-Management Practices for Minimizing Nutrient Losses and Amending Soils with Organic Materials and by-Products
Monday, October 17, 2011: 1:50 PM
Henry Gonzalez Convention Center, Room 214B
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ABSTRACT WITHDRAWN

Water use, yield and quality of greenhouse grown strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa Duch.) at different irrigation levels and K2SO4 concentrations

Parashuram Bhantanaa*, Christian Richardt Jensenb, Fulai Liub, Marianne Bertelsena and Karen Koefoed Petersena

aDepartment of Horticulture, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aarhus University, Kirstinebjergvej 10, DK-5792 Aarslev, Denmark.

bDepartment of Agriculture and Ecology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Copenhagen University, Hoejbakkegaard Alle 13, DK-2630 Taastrup, Denmark.

*Corresponding author Parashuram.Bhantana@agrsci.dk

 

Abstract

Optimization between yield and fruit quality is essential as growing consumers’ awareness towards longevity and health hazards. Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch. var. ‘Sonnata’) was grown in peat, irrigated to the maximum transpiration (Tmax) of 0.75, 1.00 and 1.25 with K2SO4 concentrations having electrical conductivities (ECiw) of 1.56, 2.55 and 3.94 dS m-1. Increasing Tmax increased fruit yield, first class berry weight, fresh biomass and leaf area but decreased the amount of sugar and acid content in the fruit. Contrastingly increasing ECiw decreased fruit yield, first class berry weight, fresh biomass and leaf area but increased the amount of sugar and acid content in the fruit. And water use (WU) to evaporation (Eo) ratios in the middle of the strawberry growth period varied from 0.6 to 0.9, which can be used for irrigation scheduling in a greenhouse. Furthermore the drainage water electrical conductivity (ECdw) increased significantly at 1.25Tmax with 3.94 dS m-1 of K2SO4 application although similar values for WU were observed with three different levels of K2SO4 treatment. In Denmark, the commercial strawberry growers are practicing a high irrigation amount to receive a high drainage in order to maintain the sum of drainage and irrigation EC equals to three. Such a practice can cause a risk of secondary salinization due to increased accumulation of nutrients and salts in the ground water. Thus, irrigating to 1.00Tmax with ECiw of 2.55 dS m-1 (5mM of K2SO4 addition) can be optimum for the strawberry production under Danish conditions.

Keywords: Strawberry, Fruit quality, Potassium sulphate, Water use, Irrigation scheduling

See more from this Division: S08 Nutrient Management & Soil & Plant Analysis
See more from this Session: S4/S8 Graduate Student Oral Competition-Management Practices for Minimizing Nutrient Losses and Amending Soils with Organic Materials and by-Products
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