Optimization of Early-season Nitrogen Fertilization Program for New Strawberry Cultivar ‘Florida Beauty’

摘要

Strawberry (Fragaria xananassa Duch.) growers in Florida generally apply 168-224 kg of nitrogen (N) per hectare during the growing season, starting with 1.96-224 kg/ha/d during establishment (eg.3 weeks), followed by lower rates at 056-1.12 kg/ha/d. The initial high-dose fertilization is beneficial for improving the establishment of strawberry transplants, but this practice must be tailored for each cultivar based on its growth characteristics and nutrient requirements. The objective of this study was to determine the optimal early-season fertilization program for ‘Florida Beauty’, which is a newly developed early-yielding cultivar. Treatments were different durations of high N fertilization at 224 kg/ha/d during establishment: 0,3,6, and 9 weeks.After these treatment durations, all treatments were subjected to the lower rate of 1.12 kg/ha/d, providing 149 to 243 kg of N in the entire growing season. Transplants were planted in the field on Sep. 28,2017 and harvests were performed 30 times between 2 Nov. 2017 and 26 Feb. 2018. Extending the high N fertilization duration from 0 to 9 weeks accelerated initial canopy development and increased leaf area by 30% at the end of the season. It also increased the early yield (Nov.-Jan.) by 33% and the total season yield by 28%, while reducing thrips damage fruit by up to 53% in the entire season. These results suggest that initial high N fertilization (224 kg/ha/d) can be extended slightly longer for ‘Florida Beauty’ than for other major cultivars inFlorida. Delayed establishment of an ideal canopy size can result in yield reductions and increased insect damage.