Growth and production patterns of strawberries grown in the Atlantic coast of Argentina

Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) production in the Atlantic coast of Argentina takes place mostly in the peri-urban belt of Mar del Plata city (38°0'; 57°30'W), where usually plants are set in the field in summer (February-March) or in autumn (April-May). Fruits are harvested from November to May for two consecutive years. Crop yields are approximately 70 t ha^-1 each year. The objective of this study was to determine the relationships between growth parameters and fruit production in both harvest seasons. Trials were conducted from 2009 through 2011 in a farm located in Mar del Plata (Buenos Aires province, Argentina), with fresh-dug plants of the cultivar 'Aromas', planted in May 2009 and in May 2010. Treatments were: plants established in May 2009 evaluated in 2009/10 (T1) and in 2010/11 (T2), and plants established in 2010 evaluated in 2010/11 (T3). The experimental setting was a complete randomized block design with 5 replications of 70 plants each. Dry weights of root, crown, leaf, inflorescence and fruit, as well as leaf area and fresh fruit production, were periodically measured. Average marketable fruit weight was higher in one-year-old plants than in two-year-old plants, but variations in fruit weight between consecutive harvests were more pronounced in one-year old plants; and that fruit weight of one-year-old plants decreased in January and February but this pattern was reverted later in the season (April/May). A combination of two-year-old and one-year-old plants showed to be a good strategy for extending the harvest period and for keeping fruit quality throughout the season.