ARS | Publication request: PLUGGING DATE AND COLD STORAGE AFFECT STRAWBERRY TRANSPLANT PRODUCTION AND PERFORMANCE IN ANNUAL PLASTICULTURE

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: March 28, 2004
Publication Date: July 1, 2004
Citation: Takeda, F., Hokanson, S.C., Enns, B.J., Perkins Veazie, P.M., Swartz, H. 2004. Plugging date and cold storage affect strawberry transplant production and performance in annual plasticulture. Hortscience. 39(4): 829. 2004

Technical Abstract: 'Chandler' strawberry plants were propagated in tissue culture and grown from April to August in a protected environment to produce stolons. July-harvested daughter plants were stuck in cell packs with rooting media and placed under mist sprinklers, or cold stored at 2ºC for 42 days. Among the July transplants, some were kept in the greenhouse until field planting (14 September) and others were moved into a cold room on 14 August. Daughter plant size and position on the stolon affected rooting and quality of transplants. July-harvested daughter plants that were plugged and misted after being cold stored for 42 days developed fewer roots than daughter plants plugged immediately after detaching from mother plants in July or August. In the field, transplants produced from daughter plants harvested in July and cold stored for 42 days developed more stolons than transplants from July- and August-harvested daughters that were not exposed to cold storage treatments. Larger daughter plants produced more branch crowns than did smaller daughter plants during the fall. All transplants from daughter plants harvested in July and propagated without cold treatment bloomed by November. Fruit production ranged from 521 to 703 g per plant. 'Chandler' plants from daughter plants that weighed 10 g produced 10% greater yield than those that weighed < 1.0 g. Plants generated from daughter plants plugged in July produced 26% more fruit than those plants plugged in August. Greenhouse soilless systems can be used to grow 'Chandler' mother plants for generating runner tips and transplants for the annual plasticulture in colder climates. 'Chandler' plants produced in July can yield a late fall crop under high tunnels and more fruit in the spring than August-plugged transplants.