Summary
This field trial compared strawberry quality in soilless (NFT and substrate-based) versus conventional soil cultivation in a tropical greenhouse setting. Soilless systems produced larger fruit with higher soluble solids and ascorbic acid, whilst soil-grown strawberries exhibited higher acidity and anthocyanin content. The study also benchmarked chromameter and digital image processing methods for non-destructive colour assessment, finding moderate agreement between techniques.
Regional applicability
This study was conducted in tropical greenhouse conditions, which differ substantially from United Kingdom temperate climate and outdoor production norms. However, the measurement methodologies and quality assessment protocols may inform UK horticultural practice, particularly for protected strawberry production or technology adoption in measurement systems; transferability of the agronomic findings would be limited without UK-specific validation.
Key measures
Fresh weight, size, texture, soluble solids, total acidity, ascorbic acid, anthocyanin content, and skin colour (L*, a* values via chromameter and digital image processing)
Outcomes reported
The study compared quality parameters (physical and nutritional) of strawberries grown in soilless (substrate and NFT) versus soil cultivation systems, and evaluated colour measurement methods using chromameter and digital image processing.
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