PERFORMANCE OF ITALIAN STRAWBERRY GENOTYPES ON FUMIGATED, NON-FUMIGATED SOILS AND ORGANIC CULTURE

The performance of 10 strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) genotypes from Italian breeding programs was tested on cold-stored plants and fresh plug plants in a five-year field trial at Cesena in Italy’s Po Valley with and without pre-plant soil fumigation. The same genotypes were evaluated in the last 2 years under organic culture at the same farm. The plants in fumigated soil had 15% more brunch crowns, 30% higher yield and 6% bigger fruit than those grown in non-fumigated soil. Significant genotype × fumigation interactions were detected. Cultivars ‘Record’, ‘Roxana’ and the advanced selections ‘97.70.3’, ‘97.129.11’, ‘98.78.7’ and ‘00.92.4’ showed the highest yields both in fumigated (more than 900 g/plant) and non-fumigated soils (more than 700 g/plant). Selection ‘97.129.11’ is well suited to the plug-plant technique and had higher yield, more than 800 g/plant, than that recorded on cold-stored plants grown in non-fumigated soil. Organic plug plants produced the same yield as cold-stored plants, with cultivars ‘Record’ and ‘Roxana’ and selections ‘97.129.11’ and ‘00.92.4’ showed good adaptability to this system. Our results confirm that plant productivity is increased by fumigation, although some genotypes showed high yield in non-fumigated and organic culture. This appears to be a good opportunity for developing cultivars specifically adapted to the sub-lethal effects of organisms in non-fumigated and organic soils.