CLOSED SOILLESS GROWING SYSTEM: A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION FOR STRAWBERRY CROP IN HUELVA (SPAIN)

The strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) is one of the most important horticultural crops in Huelva (Spain). Phytophthora cactorum and Verticillium dahliae are two of the most wide-spread and destructive diseases of strawberry and occurs practically in all zones of commercial strawberry production.
Methyl bromide (MB) is used largely to control these diseases but the removal of MB has acted as a catalyst for the widespread and ongoing development of new technologies like the soilless growing systems.
The results showed that there were not significant differences between soilless systems (open, closed with slow sand filter and closed without filter) neither between inoculations (control, P. cactorum and V. dahliae). Nevertheless, there were significant differences between substrates (coconut fiber was better than perlite). The off-season was very important and the early yield was an average of 75 % of total yield.
Therefore, strawberry production in greenhouse using soilless substrates could eliminate dependency on methyl bromide, increasing total yields and off-season production.

Euro Berry Symposium – COST-Action 836 Final Workshop

J. López-Medina, A. Peralbo, F. Flores

methyl bromide, slow sand filtration, coconut fiber, perlite, Phytophthora cactorum, Verticillium dahliae

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2004.649.39