Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #79662
Title: THE INFLUENCE OF MULCH TYPES IN RAISED BED HILL CULTURE ON FRUIT QUALITY AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF TWO STRAWBERRY GENOTYPES

Author
item Wang, Shiow
item Galletta, Gene
item Kasperbauer, Michael

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/20/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Little is known concerning the effect of different mulch types (black polyethylene, red polyethylene and straw-vetch) in raised bed hill culture on fruit quality and chemical composition of strawberry cultivars. Our results showed there are no differences in fruit color, fruit soluble solids content, titratable acidity, sugars, organic acids, ascorbic acid or ellagic acid among the plants grown in the different mulches. However, red polyethylene mulch produced the least and the black polyethylene produced the most soluble carbohydrates and starch content in strawberry plants. Leaves from plants grown in straw- vetch mulch had the largest leaf area and the highest chlorophyll content while red polyethylene had the smallest amount and leaf area. This study will benefit small fruit industry and strawberry growers.

Technical Abstract: The influence of mulch types ( black polyethylene, red polyethylene and straw-vetch) in raised bed hill culture on chemical composition of Northeaster and Primetime strawberry fruit and plant parts was studied. There were no differences in fruit color (L*, hue, and chroma value), fruit soluble solids content, titratable acidity, sugars, organic acids, ascorbic acid or ellagic acid among plants grown in different mulches. However, leaves, petioles, crowns, crown-roots and roots from plants grown in the red polyethylene mulch, in general, produced the lowest carbohydrate contents whereas black polyethylene mulch usually produced the highest amounts. Plants grown on the straw- vetch mulch had the largest leaf area and the highest chlorophyll content while plants grown on the red polyethylene had the smallest leaf area and lowest content of chlorophyll. Plant tissues from Primetime had a higher contents of fructose, glucose, myo-inositol, sucrose, starch, ascorbic acid and ellagic acid than those from Northeaster. The genotype effect on fruit quality was much stronger than the mulch treatment effects.