Production of strawberry cultivars in closed hydroponic systems and coconut fibre substrate

Abstract

-The objective of this work was to evaluate yield and average fruit weight of strawberry cultivars Albion, Camarosa, Festival and Oso Grande, in two closed hydroponic systems (gutters and grow bags), using coconut fibre as substrate. The experimental design was of randomised blocks, divided into strips, with five replications. The hydroponic systems did not differ significantly as to yield, with advantages, such as savings in water and fertilizer and reduced environmental impact, over open systems. The most productive cultivar was Festival, followed by Oso Grande, with average yields of 6.99 kg m -2 and 5.56 kg m -2 respectively. The cultivars with the greatest fruit weight were Oso Grande and Albion, having averages of 11.8 and 11.1 g respectively, with the former being significantly superior to the latter. The highest yield (7.4 kg m -2 ) was obtained from the cultivar Festival under the gutter system. The Ibiapaba region has conditions which are favourable to strawberry production in relation to precocity (harvesting starts in the 6th week of growth) and production continues throughout the year; however there is a need to test new cultivars and to improve the cultivation techniques with an aim to producing larger-sized fruit.

Influence of Subtropical Region Strawberry Cultivars on Jelly Characteristics

“…The strawberry cultivars produce on average 25 tons of fruit per hectare in subtropical areas in Brazil and the end of the harvest in September and October, approximately 30% of the production is wasted (Antunes and Reisser Júnior 2007; Duarte Filho and others ). Among the strawberry cultivars commonly grown in subtropical regions, Oso Grande stands out for presenting one of the highest productivities, averaging from 21.00 to 29.22 ton/ha (Cocco and others ; Miranda and others ).…”

Nutrients for Hydroponic Systems in Fruit Crops

“…Peralbo et al [18] concluded that maximum yield was produced by peat as compared to cork compost in both open and closed hydroponics system in strawberry. Miranda et al [19] found that closed hydroponic system of gutters and grow bags was superior than the open system in saving water and fertilizer in strawberry. Roosta and Afsharipoor [20] concluded that dry weight, leaf area, number of runners, Leaf N, P, K, Fe, Mg, and yield was significantly higher in hydroponics as compared to aquaponics except for soil perlite.…”

Relationship between production, nematodes and "redness" in strawberries

“…Furthermore, the fresh mass of the fruits recorded with 'Albion' was 12.5g superior to the mean mass of the 'Oso Grande' fruits. MIRANDA et al (2014) reported that 'Oso Grande' is more productive than 'Albion', but, considering the large size of its fruits, production is relatively smaller. Larger soluble solids content and a higher ratio of soluble solids and acidity were found in 'Oso Grande', a fundamental characteristic in fruit that are to be sold as fresh fruit, but they were less firm (Table 1).…”

“…Brazil is the second largest producer of strawberries (Fragaria ananassa) and the main region where they are produced in the country is the south of Minas Gerais where 90% of the production in that state is concentrated, with an annual production close to 85 thousand tons (CAPRONI et al, 2013 Real', 'Oso Grande' and 'Albion', due to their good adaptation to the subtropical conditions in the region and the large fruit production (NUNES et al, 2013).…”