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Agronomy
Special Issues
Preharvest Practices for High-Quality Strawberry Production
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Preharvest Practices for High-Quality Strawberry Production

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural and Floricultural Crops".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2021) | Viewed by 13634

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Shinsuke Agehara

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, 14625 CR 672, Wimauma, FL 33598, USA
Interests: crop stress physiology
Dr. Vance M. Whitaker

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, 14625 CR 672, Wimauma, FL 33598, USA
Interests: strawberry breeding and genetics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Strawberry is one of the most widely consumed fruits in the world. Strawberry plants produce attractive, flavorful berries that are rich in antioxidants, minerals, and fiber. As a high-value commodity, fruit quality is critical to meet high consumer demands. However, strawberry production requires intensive management, inputs, and labor, and both yield and fruit quality are highly susceptible to abiotic stress, pests, and diseases. Plant breeding plays an integral role in improving genetic potential and overcoming these limiting factors. In addition, production systems, soil management, cultural practices, pest management, and advanced production technologies are all important components to ensure the production of high-quality strawberries. Integrating these approaches can also improve resource use efficiency and environmental protection under intensive cropping systems. In this Special Issue, we will bring together the latest research on all aspects of preharvest practices for high-quality strawberry production, including breeding, genetics, physiology, pathology, entomology, nematology, weed science, and soil science, with special emphasis on innovative crop management strategies.

Dr. Shinsuke Agehara
Dr. Vance M. Whitaker
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Abiotic stress
  • Berry crops
  • Biotic stress
  • Fragaria × ananassa
  • Fruit quality
  • Plant breeding
  • Precision agriculture

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2139 KiB  
Article
Season and Nitrogen Fertilization Effects on Yield and Physicochemical Attributes of Strawberry under Subtropical Climate Conditions
by Shinsuke Agehara and Maria Cecilia do Nascimento Nunes
Agronomy 2021, 11(7), 1391; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11071391 - 10 Jul 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2740
Abstract
Strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa Duch.) yields in winter production regions are greatly affected by early-season nitrogen (N) fertilization, especially when pre-plant N is not applied. In Florida, United States, applying N at high rates during the early season is a common fertilization [...] Read more.
Strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa Duch.) yields in winter production regions are greatly affected by early-season nitrogen (N) fertilization, especially when pre-plant N is not applied. In Florida, United States, applying N at high rates during the early season is a common fertilization practice, but little is known about its impact on fruit quality. The objective of this study was to examine season and early-season N fertilization effects on yield and physicochemical attributes of ‘Florida Radiance’ strawberry grown under subtropical climate conditions. Field experiments were conducted in west-central Florida over two growing seasons. Plants were treated with three N rates (1.12, 1.68, and 2.24 kg/ha/d) over 21 days during the early vegetative growth stage. Thereafter, all plants were treated with the same N rate of 1.12 kg/ha/d until the end of the season. Increasing the early-season N rate increased marketable yield by 15% to 18%, but it had no significant effect on any fruit quality attributes. Contrarily, marketable yield was similar in both seasons, whereas fruit quality showed remarkable seasonal variations. In the season with higher solar radiation and lower temperature, RH, and rainfall during the fruit development period, berries were redder with increased anthocyanin accumulation but had lower pH, acidity, and soluble solids. These results suggest that season has a greater effect on fruit quality than early-season N fertilization, which is complex to dissect because of the interaction between fruit quality attributes and environmental conditions. The use of high N rates during the early season appears to be an effective strategy to improve the profitability of winter strawberry production. Importantly, this fertilization technique has a minimal risk of compromising fruit quality or fertilizer N use efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preharvest Practices for High-Quality Strawberry Production)
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18 pages, 1115 KiB  
Article
Influence of Nitrogen, Calcium and Nano-Fertilizer on Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) Fruit Inner and Outer Quality
by Nika Cvelbar Weber, Darinka Koron, Jerneja Jakopič, Robert Veberič, Metka Hudina and Helena Baša Česnik
Agronomy 2021, 11(5), 997; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11050997 - 18 May 2021
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 4403
Abstract
The production system, especially fertilisation has an important effect on yield and quality of strawberries. In the present study, plants were fertilized with different doses of nitrogen (0–100% recommended doses), calcium chelate, as well as nano fertilizer Lithovit. Strawberry cultivar ‘Clery’ yield and [...] Read more.
The production system, especially fertilisation has an important effect on yield and quality of strawberries. In the present study, plants were fertilized with different doses of nitrogen (0–100% recommended doses), calcium chelate, as well as nano fertilizer Lithovit. Strawberry cultivar ‘Clery’ yield and quality parameters (fruit color and firmness) including nutritional indicators (total soluble solids, sugars, organic acids, phenolic and volatile compounds) were monitored. Volatiles were identified and monitored using headspace solid phase microextraction and analysed using gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry (SPME/GC-MS) and sugars, organic acids, and phenolic compounds with high performance liquid chromatography. Organic acids and phenolic compounds were detected with mass spectrometer (HPLC/MS). Both nitrogen and calcium fertilisation had altered sugars, organic acids, volatile and phenolic contents in strawberry fruits. Fertilisation with higher doses of nitrogen and calcium increased the content of unpleasant aromas aldehydes hexanal (up to 3.8-fold) and (E)-2-hexen-1- (up to 3.7-fold). The content of fruity esters was uppermost in fruits fertilised with nano-fertiliser Lithovit (up to 2.3-fold). Fertilisation with N and Ca decreased the strength of ketone and terpenoids fruity aroma. The highest content of total phenols, as well as all individual hydroxycinnamic and hydroxybenzoic acid derivatives were obtained in the nano-fertiliser Lithovit treatment. Fertilisation, especially with nitrogen, had mostly negative impact on strawberry flavour while nano-fertilization with Lithovit improved strawberry phenolic content and aroma. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preharvest Practices for High-Quality Strawberry Production)
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12 pages, 4479 KiB  
Article
Characterizing Early-Season Nitrogen Fertilization Rate Effects on Growth, Yield, and Quality of Strawberry
by Shinsuke Agehara
Agronomy 2021, 11(5), 905; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11050905 - 05 May 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2515
Abstract
In winter strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) production, early-season nitrogen (N) fertilization greatly affects fruit earliness and yields, especially when pre-plant N is not applied. The objective of this study was to characterize the dose-responses of canopy growth, yield, and fruit quality [...] Read more.
In winter strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) production, early-season nitrogen (N) fertilization greatly affects fruit earliness and yields, especially when pre-plant N is not applied. The objective of this study was to characterize the dose-responses of canopy growth, yield, and fruit quality to early-season N fertilization in ‘Florida Radiance’ and ‘Florida127’ strawberry. Field experiments were conducted in west-central Florida, United States. Treatments included four (0.56, 0.84, 1.12 and 1.40 kg ha−1 d−1) and five (0.22, 0.67, 1.12, 1.57, and 2.02 kg ha−1 d−1) early-season N rates in the first and second growing seasons, respectively. Increasing the early-season N rate increased early and total season yields by up to 62% to 65% and 56% to 58%, respectively, in the two cultivars. The total season yield had high positive correlations with leaf area and shoot DW. Model fitting analysis revealed cultivar-dependent dose-responses. Yield and berry size responses in ‘Florida Radiance’ were linear increases, whereas those in ‘Florida127’ were quadratic with peaks occurring at N rates of 1.21 or 1.57 kg ha−1 d−1. In ‘Florida Radiance’, soluble solids concentration showed a linear dose-response with a slope of –0.91 (0.91 °Brix decrease per 1 kg ha−1 d−1 N increase) during the early season. These results suggest that optimization of early-season N fertilization is an important production strategy to improve the profitability of winter strawberry production. Furthermore, fertilizer management that takes into account cultivar-dependent dose-responses can improve fertilizer use efficiency while minimizing fruit quality loss and environmental pollution risks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preharvest Practices for High-Quality Strawberry Production)
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15 pages, 3230 KiB  
Article
Strawberry Flavor Is Influenced by the Air Temperature Differential during Fruit Development but Not Management Practices
by Anya Osatuke and Marvin Pritts
Agronomy 2021, 11(3), 606; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11030606 - 23 Mar 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3150
Abstract
The majority of cultivated strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa) in the northern United States (US) and Canadian provinces is grown in perennial matted rows across a range of soil types and microclimates. Management practices vary in fertilization rates, intensity of pesticide use, [...] Read more.
The majority of cultivated strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa) in the northern United States (US) and Canadian provinces is grown in perennial matted rows across a range of soil types and microclimates. Management practices vary in fertilization rates, intensity of pesticide use, and the source of inputs depending on grower preferences. The objective of this study was to identify environmental and management factors that influence strawberry flavor attributes across a range of production systems. The cultivar Jewel was selected for its popularity in this region and reputation for excellent flavor. “Jewel” was sampled from regional farms and, concurrently, grown in a controlled field study with different inputs over three years. Soluble solids content (SSC) and titratable acidity (TA) across farms was found to be positively associated with the air temperature differential during fruit ripening. In controlled field studies, yield was correlated positively with total N in the form of synthetic urea, but not with the rate of applied organic nitrogen (N). Despite different levels of soil carbon inputs, N rates, pesticides, and microbial supplements, the fruit quality attributes, including SSC, TA, aromatic volatile concentration, and phenolics were not associated with treatment. A human sensory evaluation found no perceptible differences in flavor or aroma among contrasting treatments. Our study concludes that growers should invest in temperature management, rather than agricultural inputs, to influence SSC and TA of strawberry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preharvest Practices for High-Quality Strawberry Production)
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