INCIDENCE OF THE SUMMER PLANTING OF "FRIGO" PLANTS ON THE BIOLOGIC AND PRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR OF THE STRAWBERRY PLANT UNDER SHELTER

The author presents the results of an experimental research on the incidence of summer planting and culture under greenhouse-shelter on the biological and productive behaviour of European and American varieties of strawberry.

According to the other authors, the summer planting of "frigo" plants has given productions twice as important as the ones of the autumn planting of young plants recently separated from the mother plant.

However, no important difference appeared between the average productions in the open air and in greenhouse; the ripening occurred earlier in the greenhouse though.

Great changes appeared in the behaviour of the tested varieties: if one considers the commercial advantage of precocity rather than the total yield, the American varieties "Torrey" and "Pocahontas" gave better results than the European "Gorella" and "Red Gauntlet" thanks to their greater adaptation facilities to the weather conditions of Sicily.

Furthermore, there is a significant interaction between variety and growing-conditions, since the reaction of some of the tested varieties was definitely inconsistent with the influence of the greenhouse.

It appears necessary to proceed with the research in order to precise either the causes of the different behaviours of the varieties under shelter, or the best fitted types for the culture in greenhouse.