The Influence of Growing System on Cropping Potential of Strawberry Cultivar 'Clery' Grown in Plastic Tunnel

Abstract

The work presents the influence of three commercially acceptable growing systems (A - hydroponics system in bags filled with 15 L substrate which were placed on 1.1 m high platform, B - hydroponics system in bags filled with 20 L substrate which were placed in rows on the tunnel floor, and C - hill system by using black plastic mulch in the form of double rows) on more important parameters of cropping potential of strawberry cultivar 'Clery'. Researches were conducted in plastic tunnels at the Experimental property of 'Zeleni Hit' enterprise in Belgrade over two cropping seasons (autumn 2005-spring 2006). In the autumn of 2005, hydroponics growing system in bags placed on 1.1 m high platform (system A) expressed a positive influence on number of flowers (9.2) and fruits (9.0) per plant, as well as yield per plant (87.8 g). However, with regard to the other yield components, better results were obtained in the spring of second year of investigation, when the highest values of fruit weight and yield per plant were recorded in the hill growing system (22.9 g and 518.0 g, respectively).