ISHS Acta Horticulturae 265: International Strawberry Symposium
INFLUENCE OF DEFOLIATION ON YIELD AND QUALITY OF STRAWBERRIES |
| Author: | D. Seipp |
| Abstract:
A thunderstorm with hail will not only damage strawberry fruit but also the foliage of the plants and thus cause an addtional loss, for instance a reduced yield of smaller fruits with less internal quality with regard to soluble solids and acids. In order to quantify this reduction a trial was designed where 1/3 or 2/3 of the foliage of the strawberry cv. 'Tenira' were removed at the beginning of the picking period. treatments were applied to other plants at the beginning of the flowering period. Defoliation of 2/3 of the foliage at the early stage resulted in a significant reduction of the crop caused by smaller fruits. There was no significant reduction of fruit size and yield when defoliation took place at a later stage. Defoliation led to a lower content of soluble solids and fruit acids in all treated plots. Thus insurance companies have to take into consideration intense foliar damages only of more than 50%. | |
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