STRAWBERRY DAUGHTER PLANT SIZE ALTERS TRANSPLANT GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) bare-root and containerized transplants are often variable in size because of developmental differences in the vegetatively propagated daughter plants.
This variability in plant size can lead to variability in fruit yield, especially in annual production systems.
The objective of this research was to determine how developmental differences in the daughter plant tips affect initial growth and development of strawberry transplants.
Daughter plants were separated based on stolon stem diameter (2 or 4 mm) and leaf developmental stage (0, 1, or 2 expanded leaves). Daughter plants with greater leaf development had increased root growth during transplant propagation.
Larger stolon stem diameter of daughter plants resulted in larger crown diameter and greater flower development after transplanting.
Daughter plants at the two-leaf developmental stage should be selected from large stem diameter stolons for increased root dry mass and greater flower production from containerized transplants.

VIII International Symposium on Timing Field Production in Vegetable Crops

E.B. Bish, D.J. Cantliffe, C.K. Chandler

Fragaria x ananassa, plug transplants, tray plants, propagation

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2000.533.13