Strawberry plants are propagated vegetatively most often in field nursery plantations carried out for this purpose.
Such plantations are established in autumn from freshly dug plantlets obtained from specially selected mother plantations offering nursery material for further propagation of plants (“elite” class).
Plantlets from such plantations have a certificate of plant health and varietal identity.
Strawberry can also be propagated in “in vitro” cultures and in specially managed mother plantations grown in soilless systems.
Frigo plantlets are dug out from the nursery plantations in late autumn, so that they accumulate a sufficient amount of storage compounds in the crowns and roots necessary for long-term storage.
They are stored in a cold room at a temperature of -1.5°C to -1.7°C following cleaning from leaves and bounding in bunches. They can be kept in a cold storage for up to 9 months, which allows their sale and planting throughout the whole growing season.
After planting in the soil (or substrate), they easily accommodate to the field conditions and grow quickly. They usually start flowering about 30 days after planting and then after 30–40 days they start to bear fruit. Therefore, fruit harvest starts 8–9 weeks after planting.
Frigo plantlets allow cultivation for early or late harvest (out of the typical ripening season).
Yielding of plants depends on the quality of plantlets, which individual classes take into account the diameter of the shortened shoot of the strawberry plant – the crown. Plantlets with a crown diameter of less than 10 mm are included in the lowest class marked with the letter B. Class A contains plants with a crown diameter of 10 to 15 mm. Plantlets that have developed a crown over 15 mm in diameter belong to the A+ class. The highest quality and at the same time yield potential have multi-crown plantlets – classified as A++.
Proper soil preparation prior to planting of mother nursery plantation, organic and mineral soil fertilization as well as the right planting technique – these are the conditions necessary for a good adaptation of plantlets after planting to field and further development of plants.
The effectiveness of cultivation can be increased by appropriate bio-stimulation of plants and foliar plant nutrition.
In autumn, in the planting year, foliar treatments are primarily aimed at:
In the period from the start of vegetation in spring up to beginning of rosette formation, the treatments are aimed at:
During the growth and rooting of plantlets, the treatments are aimed at:
The good condition of plants throughout the growing season determines the yield nursery plantations.
Even short-term nutrient deficiency may have a negative impact on plant growth and yield. Therefore, it is necessary comprehensive assessment of the requirements of the plants at any stage of their development. This will allow them to be fed properly and bio-stimulate them.
INTERMAG’s wide range of products, allows you to develop your own individual foliar fertilization and biostimulation program, considering local soil conditions, crop intensity, stage of plant development and availability of various products.
All of these discussed actions significantly affect the yield increase and its quality parameters.
