Vernalizing Pre-Transplants Improved the Agronomic Characteristics of Strawberry Genotypes Under Tropical Conditions1

Abstract

Strawberry plant yields improve if they accumulate a certain number of cold hours, which does not occur naturally under tropical and subtropical climatic conditions. This study evaluated the agronomic characteristics of potted transplants from 14 strawberry genotypes that had been subjected to vernalization treatment prior to planting in the field. The transplants were stored in a cold chamber at 5°C for 576 h. The genotypes used in the experiment were Camino Real, Festival, Florida Eliane, Sweet Charliefp, Sweet Charlie, Dover, IAC Guaraní, Corea, Early Bright, and hybrid clones Dover × Rosalinda1 Dover × Rosalinda4, Dover × Oso Grande, Dover × Esplendida, and Dover × Aichi. The 14 genotypes in the control group received no vernalization treatment. Each experimental unit consisted of 15 plants. A randomized complete blocks experimental design was used with a 14 × 2 factorial arrangement and three repetitions. Subjecting the strawberry transplants to the vernalization treatment had a significant effect on the total number of fruits per plant and total and commercial yield of fruits per plant, but there was no significant interaction between the factors and the evaluated yield and growth characteristics. Dover × Oso Grande, Florida Eliane, Camino Real, and Festival produced the greatest numbers of large fruits per plant. Vernalizing strawberry transplants increased the yield and the number of medium and small sized fruits per plant. The results showed that vernalization is a technique that could be used in tropical climate conditions to improve strawberry cultivation productivity.

Applying an automated NMR-based metabolomic workflow to unveil strawberry molecular mechanisms in vernalization

“…One of the parameters that has been seen to be extremely important in obtaining successful crops is the cumulative required number of hours under 7 ⁰C during dormancy, a term known as vernalization. There are several studies demonstrating that it is beneficial for the plant to go through such process (Oviedo et al 2020), since it triggers a change in its physiology, preparing it for flowering and fruit production, and thus promoting good development and abundant fruiting (Costa et al 2014). However, the molecular and metabolic mechanisms that comprise vernalization, which may be the key to improving current agricultural practices and crops, are not fully understood.…”

Effects of Vernalization on Off–Season Flowering and Gene Expression in Sub-Tropical Strawberry cv. Pharachatan 80

“…Vernalization, using low temperatures to induce floral buds in plants, was reported to accelerate flowering in these kinds of small-fruit crops. A low temperature treatment at 10 • C for 100-400 h stimulated flower buds and increased the flowering volume of the strawberry plant [4]. Acclimatization of strawberry plants with low temperature is a simple method used to manipulate and promote off-season flowering.…”

Institutionalization and Legislation of Organic Production in Brazil

“…Furthermore, most of the cultivars currently used are protected by patents, preventing farmers from producing their own seedlings. Another obstacle is that the seedlings have to go through a period of vernalization, which is the accumulation of hours of cold to induce plant stolon or flowering [47,48] and only large groups of seedling suppliers have adequate structure to prepare these seedlings. If the producer of organic seedlings needs to acquire vegetative propagation material from non-organic production systems, they must have ¾ of his production period under organic management so that the seedling produced can be considered organic.…”