FIELD EVALUATION OF MICROPROPAGATED STRAWBERRY PLANTS AS RELATED TO DIFFERENT ROOTING AND NUTRITIONAL METHODS

Several types of strawberry plants of cvs Senga Sengana, Kama, Dukat and Kent were planted in fertile medium heavy loam in the field on May 26, 1995. They were: D plants (obtained from in vitro shoots removed from test tubes at multiplication stage, rooted in Grodan cubes, then transfered to larger pots); K plants (obtained in a similar way as above but left in Grodan cubes until planting in the field), ST plants (standard runner plantlets), VD plants (runner plantlets obtained in a greenhouse from in vitro plants of ‘Senga Sengana’ and rooted in a similar way as D plants). ST plants and some of each of three other types (D1, K1 and VD1) received no fertilizer, second part (D2, K2 and VD2 plants) received osmocote fertilizer Agroblen 1 and third part (D3, K3 and VD3) received Agroblen Fruit. Both received 10 g/plant dosage in root vicinity at planting.

Strawberry shoots from in vitro culture formed in 100% root system in ex vitro conditions.

ST, D, VD and K1 plants survived well in the field, but not K2 and K3. The number of new runner plantlets in October of 1995 was 121% higher from D1 plants of ‘Kama’, 13% of ‘Senga Sengana’ and 7% of ‘Kent’, but was about 9% lower from ‘Dukat’ D1 than from ST plants. Reproduction rate of VD1 plants of ‘Senga Sengana’ did not increase in comparison with ST plants. Number of new runner plantlets was 124% higher from K1 plants of ‘Kama’ and 15% of ‘Kent’ than from ST plants. However, it was 15,5% lower from K1 plants of ‘Dukat’ and 9,1% of ‘Senga Sengana’.

Agroblen 1 and Agroblen Fruit significantly increased the number of new runner plantlets, mainly from D plants of ‘Kama’ and ‘Senga Sengana’.

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