Influence of preplant fertilizer on strawberry yields and nutrient leaching from a peat substrate

Summary

This 1995 field study investigated the relationship between preplant fertiliser management and strawberry productivity grown in peat substrates, whilst monitoring nutrient leaching to drainage. The work appears to address the trade-off between crop nutrition and environmental nutrient losses—a concern particularly acute in intensive peat-based horticultural systems. No abstract is available; the specific fertiliser rates, nutrient forms tested, or quantitative yield and leaching data cannot be confirmed from the title alone.

Regional applicability

Peat-based substrate systems have been widely used in United Kingdom strawberry and soft-fruit production, though peat use has been progressively restricted by UK environmental policy since the 1990s. The findings may inform transitional substrate management but have limited direct applicability to modern UK horticultural practice, which has largely shifted to alternative growing media.

Key measures

Strawberry yield; nutrient leaching rates from peat substrate; preplant fertiliser rates or formulations

Outcomes reported

The study examined how preplant fertiliser application influences strawberry yields and the leaching of nutrients from peat-based growing substrates. It likely quantified yield responses and measured nutrient losses (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) in drainage from the substrate.

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