Author
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POLING, E. - NC STATE UNIVERSITY |
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Maas, John |
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Submitted to: Acta horticulturae
Publication Type: Proceedings Publication Acceptance Date: 4/15/1999 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: A need has developed for preconditioned strawberry nursery plug plants to satisfy demands for earlier flowering and fruiting under open-field growing conditions in the United States and in European programmed glasshouse production. Plug plants can be established by rooting young runner-tip plantlets in small containers of sterile, non-soil media and under mist for four to five weeks. In this system, young plants are not exposed to soil-borne pathogens. Strawberry plug plants can be grown rapidly in controlled environments, such as in greenhouse or under plastic tunnels and preconditioned by temperature and light exposure to control flowering when transplanted. Traditional fresh and cold-stored transplants still have applications in a number of indoor and outdoor growing conditions and cultural systems. However, plug plants afford growers greater control of transplanting dates to ensure that fruiting occurs when fruit prices are highest. Plug plants also provide mechanical transplanting opportunities that reduce labor costs and improved water management for transplant establishment relative to fresh bare-root or cold-stored plants. As a result, strawberry plug plants continue to rapidly replace traditional fresh bare-root and cold-stored transplants on a worldwide basis. The demand for quality preconditioned strawberry plug plants also has created a whole new market opportunity for strawberry nurserymen. Technical Abstract: Strawberry plug plants continue to rapidly replace traditional fresh bare-root and cold-stored transplants on a worldwide basis. The scientific community needs to be informed of current industry applications for strawberry plug plants. Strawberry plug plants are grown in controlled environments (greenhouse, tunnels) in less time than field-grown, bare-root transplants, and are not exposed to soil-borne pathogens. New applications for plug plants have been identified in recent years, including earlier flowering and fruiting with conditioned plug plants, and in European programmed glasshouse production. A modification of plug plant production, called tray plants, can be cold stored and have superior cold-storage characteristics relative to waiting-bed transp utilized in a number of indoor and outdoor growing conditions and cultural systems. However, plug plants afford greater grower control of transplanting dates to ensure that fruiting occurs when fruit prices are highest. Plug plants also provide mechanical transplanting opportunities that reduce labor costs and improved water management for transplant establishment relative to fresh bare-root or cold-stored plants. |