Optimal fertigation for high yield and fruit quality of greenhouse strawberry

Summary

Abstract Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and water are four crucial factors that have significant effects on strawberry yield and fruit quality. A quadratic regression orthogonal rotation combination experiment that involved 36 treatments with five levels of the four variables (N, P, and K fertilizers and water) was executed to optimize the fertilization and water combination for high yield and quality. SSC/TA ratio (the ratio of soluble solid content to titratable acid) was selected as the index of quality. Results showed that the N fertilizer was the most important factor, followed by water and P fertilizer, and the N fertilizer had a significant effect on yield and SSC/TA ratio. By contrast, the K fertilizer had a significant effect only on yield. N×K fertilizer interaction