Agronomic characteristics and postharvest quality of strawberry in a semi-hydroponic cultivation system

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of using a semi-hydroponic system on the agronomic and postharvest variables of strawberry cultivars. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design, with cultivars Aromas, Camarosa, Festival, Merced, Oso Grande, and San Andreas, with eight plants per plot and five replicates. Agronomic and postharvest variables were evaluated. Cultivar San Andreas showed the highest values for the agronomic variables number of commercial fruits and total and commercial yield per plant, with the highest yield in October, November, and December. The postharvest variables moisture, firmness, pH, titratable acidity, and reducing sugars did not differ between cultivars. In a semi-hydroponic system, the San Andreas cultivar presents the best results for the agronomic variables related to fruit yield, with the highest yield in October and November.