Articles
EFFECTS OF FERTIGATION TIMING ON GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT IN STRAWBERRY ‘KORONA’
Article number
984_14
Pages
143 – 150
Language
English
Abstract
Increased focus on targeted fertilization to improve specific processes in the plant has hypothesised that the common practice of spring fertilization could be substituted by other techniques.
Two pot trials were set up to increase the knowledge on effects of fertilizer timing in small overwintered plants and runner plants potted in spring and fertigated with a complete nutrient solution until October.
At defined developmental stages, the electric conductivity (EC) of the nutrient solution was increased with extra calcium nitrate for a period of three weeks, in addition to two treatments with continuously high or low EC. In Trial 2, compost used as substrate was also tested.
Vegetative and generative traits were recorded during the trial and after destructive harvests.
The results showed significant effects of fertigation timing, although there was a high degree of variation in the plant material.
A high fertigation rate early in the growing season generally increased vegetative growth and runner development, while a high fertilizer rate applied in spring or autumn was positive for yield the following season.
Plants grown in compost were phenotypically very different from the others.
Fertigation in spring or autumn enhanced yield the following season, and based on this trial we cannot recommend to substitute spring fertilization with fertilization in other periods.
Two pot trials were set up to increase the knowledge on effects of fertilizer timing in small overwintered plants and runner plants potted in spring and fertigated with a complete nutrient solution until October.
At defined developmental stages, the electric conductivity (EC) of the nutrient solution was increased with extra calcium nitrate for a period of three weeks, in addition to two treatments with continuously high or low EC. In Trial 2, compost used as substrate was also tested.
Vegetative and generative traits were recorded during the trial and after destructive harvests.
The results showed significant effects of fertigation timing, although there was a high degree of variation in the plant material.
A high fertigation rate early in the growing season generally increased vegetative growth and runner development, while a high fertilizer rate applied in spring or autumn was positive for yield the following season.
Plants grown in compost were phenotypically very different from the others.
Fertigation in spring or autumn enhanced yield the following season, and based on this trial we cannot recommend to substitute spring fertilization with fertilization in other periods.
Authors
N. Opstad, H.G. Espelien, U.M. Roos, A. Sønsteby
Keywords
compost, fertigation, Fragaria × ananassa, precision fertilization
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