Publicado 2013-12-01
Palabras clave
- Fragaria ×ananassa,
- cultural practices,
- fertilization,
- plant nutrition,
- macronutrients
Resumen
A study was conducted over two seasons to determine the effects of four early N application rates (0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 lb/acre per day during the first 10 d after transplanting; 1 acre = 10,890 linear bed feet/acre) on the yields of two strawberry cultivars (‘Strawberry Festival’, a vigorous cultivar, and ‘Florida Radiance’, a compact-growth habit cultivar). The interaction between early N rate and cultivar was significant for early and total marketable fruit numbers and weights. Early fruit number of ‘Florida Radiance’ sharply increased when initial N rate was increased from 0 to 0.5 lb/acre per day and remained constant with higher early N rates. In contrast, ‘Strawberry Festival’ early fruit number steadily increased with early N rates between 0 and 1.0 lb/acre per day. There was no early fruit number difference for plots receiving N at 1.0 or 1.5 lb/acre per day. Total marketable fruit number followed similar trends as those of early fruit number. Early and total marketable fruit weights of ‘Strawberry Festival’ sharply increased when N fertilization was increased from 0 to 1.0 lb/acre per day. However, increasing early N rates from 1.0 to 1.5 lb/acre per day failed to enhance early fruit weight in ‘Strawberry Festival’. In contrast, a daily N rate of only 0.5 lb/acre increased ‘Florida Radiance’ early fruit weight. These results suggest that early N fertilization programs should be tailored to the strawberry cultivar planted.