Evaluation effects of alternative substrates for soilless cultivation of strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa)

Summary

Strawberry is one of the major cultivations in Mexico, nonetheless, low development of planting techniques reduces fruit quality. The present research aimed to evaluate alternative substrates for soilless cultivation of strawberry, variety festival (Fragaria x annanasa). Four substrates were evaluated to achieve the goal: T1 coconut fiber substrate, T2 volcanic rock “tezontle”, T3 coconut fiber 50 % volcanic rock “tezontle” 50 %, and T4 soil as control. To compare the substrates, some properties that people chose in the fruit were selected: number of fruits per plant, fruit weight, fruit size, and Brix degrees (° Brix). The ° Brix did not show differences among the treatments; however, under T2 and T3 the best results were observed in terms of the number of fruits per plant, fruit weight a