Published 2019-04-19
Abstract
In this study, two summer legumes, sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) and hairy indigo (Indigofera hirsuta L.), were grown and incorporated into the soil prior to planting a strawberry crop. A weedy fallow was included as a control. Plug plants of three strawberry cultivars including SensationTM ‘Florida127’, WinterstarTM ‘FL 05-107’, and ‘Strawberry Festival’ were transplanted on 9 Oct. 2014. The experiment was conducted in an open field on certified organic land at the Plant Science Research and Education Unit in Citra, FL. A split plot design with four replicates was used. Cover crop management was the whole plot factor and strawberry cultivar was the subplot factor. Summer cover crops had no significant effect on plant growth and strawberry yield performance, whereas some significant differences were observed among strawberry cultivars. ‘Strawberry Festival’ showed the lowest chlorophyll content index during the early season. In terms of fruit yield components during the production season, ‘Florida127’ had the greatest average fruit weight but the lowest number of marketable fruit, while ‘Strawberry Festival’ was the opposite. No significant difference was found in marketable or total fruit yield among the three cultivars.