Pedro Palencia

To support producers in selecting cultivars, this study aimed to investigate whether the strawberry yield and fruit quality differ according to cultivars and growing cycles. The treatments consisted of three cultivars (‘Albion’, ‘Monterey’, and ‘San Andreas’) over four cycles (2021/2022, 2022/2023, 2023/2024, and 2024/2025). The experiments were arranged in a randomized block design, with four replications. Attributes related to yield and fruit quality were evaluated. The interaction between cultivars and cycles influenced the horticultural potential of strawberry plants in a soilless system. The best productive performance of the three cultivars was observed in 2024/2025. In this growing cycle, ‘San Andreas’ exhibited the highest yield, ‘Monterey’ produced the highest number of fruits, and both cultivars produced fruits of superior quality. In 2022/2023, ‘Albion’ produced the sweetest and most flavorful fruits. Principal component analysis formed four groups in relation to cultivars and cycles, one of which included only cultivars from the 2024/2025 cycle. The other three groupings did not show a clear pattern of separation by cultivar and/or harvest. In conclusion, the association between cultivars and production cycles interferes with the horticultural potential of strawberry under soilless cultivation systems.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), the Ascophyllum nodosum seaweed extract, the Trichoderma harzianum fungus, and their combinations on the horticultural potential of strawberry plants grown in substrate in a greenhouse. Eight treatments were studied: the absence and presence of bioinputs, represented by AMF, A. nodosum (AN), T. harzianum (TH), AMF+AN, AMF+TH, AN+TH, and AMF+AN+TH, arranged in a randomized complete block design, with four replicates. Fruit yield and quality were evaluated. The use of bioinputs did not change fruit yield, but prolonged the end of the production cycle. Treatments TH and AMF improve fruit quality regarding total anthocyanin and flavonoid contents. The use of bioinputs improves fruit quality of strawberry plants, but has no effect on fruit yield.

This bibliometric review analyzed research published between 2020 and 2025 addressing water stress in strawberry plants and evidenced the use of biostimulants as a promising tool in mitigating this stress. Water requirement of strawberry plants varies according to the agroecosystem of cultivation and genotype used to establish the crop. Strawberry plants develop large leaves with a high water content and stomata, which results in high transpiration rates. Under water deficit, the photosynthetic capacity of the plant is reduced and the water content in the leaves is lower. Additionally, molecules such as proline, catalase, and peroxidase are produced, indicating enzymatic oxidative stress. Conversely, the fruit quality is positively influenced when the plant suffers water restrictions (up to 75% of the pot/field capacity). The use of biostimulants represents a potential biotool to mitigate water deficit in strawberry plants, such as the application of organic acids, plant extracts, seaweed, bacteria, and fungi. The use of these products in situations of water deficit or aiming at a reduction in water consumption is still a topic of research gaining attention. Therefore, the application of biostimulants combined with irrigation management with lower water consumption corroborates the search for more productive and sustainable agri-food systems.

One biostrategy to boost the sustainability of strawberry cultivation is the application of biostimulants to the growing substrate. Here, we investigated whether the use of biostimulants and their combinations affects the strawberry plants’ phyllochron, phenology, and fruit quality. We tested the absence (control) and presence of biostimulants (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), Ascophyllum nodosum (AN), Trichoderma harzianum (TH), AMF + AN, AMF + TH, AN + TH, and AMF + AN + TH). The experimental design used was in completely randomized blocks (four replications). AMF was represented by a multi-species on-farm inoculant; A. nodosum was represented by the commercial product Acadian^®; and T. harzianum was represented by the commercial product Trichodermil^®. The leaf emission rate, the occurrence and duration of phenological stages, and fruit quality were assessed. The greatest precocity in terms of harvesting the first fruit was observed in plants grown with AMF + TH, which also had the lowest phyllochron (77.52 °C day·leaf⁻¹). Those treated only with AMF were the latest (144.93 °C day·leaf⁻¹). More flavorful fruits were produced by plants grown with AMF + TH. Plants inoculated with the AMF community, whether or not associated with A. nodosum and T. harzianum, had more than 94% mycorrhizal colonization. We conclude that AMF, A. nodosum, T. harzianum, and their combinations influence the phenology, phyllochron, and fruit quality of strawberry plants. In the growing conditions of the Brazilian subtropics, the AMF and T. harzianum combination shortens the strawberry cycle, from transplanting the daughter plants to harvesting the first fruit, and improves the fruit flavor.

Among the bio-tools that contribute to making the strawberry production system more sustainable are arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which can be used as biofertilizers. Thus, five doses of phosphorus (P) applied to plants with AMF and a control (100% P, no AMF) were analyzed in order to differentiate the horticultural potential of the ‘Camarosa’ cultivar. We used an on-farm inoculant made up of six fungal species. The univariate and multivariate analyses showed that the addition of AMF to the growing substrate made it possible to reduce the P supply in the nutrient solution by 75% without compromising the fruit yield. In addition, this combination improved the phytochemical quality of strawberries, the plant’s root system morphology, and the accumulation of nutrients in plant organs (roots, crowns, aerial part and fruits). We conclude that the use of a multi-species on-farm inoculant based on AMF associated with a reduction in the P supply in the nutrient solution modifies the horticultural potential of the ‘Camarosa’ cultivar. We confirmed the action of a native AMF community as a biofertilizer.

By analyzing the growth and development of different types of strawberry plants, the researchers were able to evaluate the interference with the horticultural potential of the cultivar ‘Albion’. The five treatments that have been studied corresponded to different types of strawberry plants: mini plants in trays with young roots, plants in trays with mature roots and an initial reduction of fertigation, plants in trays with mature roots, plants with bare roots, and plants in trays with mature roots preserved by the cold. In bags containing coconut fiber, the experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with three replications. The attributes evaluated were the total yield per plant, the total yield per plant with fruits above 10 g, the total yield per hectare, the total yield per hectare with fruits above 10 g, the average plant diameter, the average number of buds per plant, and the average number of stolons per plant. There were no significant effects among the plant types concerning yield production. Plants in cold-preserved trays with mature roots showed a higher number of buds than plants in trays with mature roots. Cold-preserved tray plants with mature roots produced the highest number of stolons, followed by bare-root plants. It is concluded that the types of strawberry seedlings did not influence the productive performance of the strawberry ‘Albion’ cultivar. However, cold-preserved tray plants with mature roots showed better vegetative performance, with a yield of a higher number of buds and stolons. However, the results were influenced by the agroclimatic conditions of the producing region; due to climatic interference in the behaviour of the plants about the factors studied, it is recommended to repeat the experiment for a better understanding of the objectives.

Soilless growing systems can improve water-use efficiency, especially in closed soilless growing systems. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of different transplanting conditions, and determine how supplying H₂O₂ as an oxygen source to the rhizosphere of strawberry plants in a soilless growing system affects plant growth, fruit yield and fruit quality. Strawberry plants (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) cv. ‘Fortuna’ were cultivated in 12 L pots filled with peat substrate, and maintained under conditions of natural light and temperature. Treated plants were supplied with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) (H1) and control plants did not receive H₂O₂ (H0). In terms of the transplanting conditions, the plants were transplanted in October (T1), and either maintained in a culture chamber (T2), or refrigerated (T3), for one month, before being transplanted. A completely randomized block design with two treatment factors (transplanting conditions, and H₂O₂ treatment) and five replications was established. Then, we determined the fruit per plant, yield per plant (g plant⁻¹), fruit weight (g fruit⁻¹), fruit size (mm), SPAD values, crown number, crown diameter (mm), flower number, firmness (g cm⁻¹), pH, total soluble solid (TSS), titratable acidity (TA) and TSS/TA. During the early crop cycle, there were not significant differences between treatment and the transplanting conditions that significantly affected the fruit weight and fruit size, although T3 produced the highest values. During the late crop cycle, the H₂O₂ treatment affected fruit per plant, yield per plant (g plant⁻¹), and crown diameter, with H1 producing the highest values. Furthermore, the transplanting conditions affected yield per plant (g plant⁻¹), old SPAD values, crown diameter, firmness, TSS, TA and TSS/TA.