Search Results (146)

Low temperature and low irradiance (LTLI) stress severely limits strawberry growth and productivity during winter protected cultivation. This study investigated the physiological responses of the short-day strawberry cultivar ‘Benihoppe’ to individual and combined LTLI stress and developed a quantitative damage evaluation index. Seedlings were exposed to four treatments for 20 d: control (25/15 °C, 600 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹), single low temperature (LT: 15/5 °C), single low irradiance (LI: 100 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹), and combined stress (LTLI: 15/5 °C, 100 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹). Compared to isolated stress factors, combined LTLI treatment exhibited a statistically verified synergistic damaging effect (two-factor ANOVA, LT × LI p < 0.01) on leaf structure and function. LTLI-treated plants showed severe reductions in leaf area, palisade tissue thickness, chlorophyll content, and net photosynthetic rate (Pn), alongside elevated malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation. Chlorophyll a fluorescence (OJIP) analysis revealed that LTLI stress strongly blocked the electron transport chain at the PSII acceptor side, increasing the J-step relative variable fluorescence (Vj) and suppressing the performance index (PI). To quantify these impacts, a Low Temperature and Low Irradiance Damage Index (LTLDI) was derived from 12 core physiological and morphological variables. The LTLDI scores demonstrated that LTLI induced severe damage by day 10 (score: 0.69) and extremely severe damage by day 20 (0.87), which were substantially higher than the damage caused by LT (0.58 at 20 d) and LI (0.63 at 20 d) alone. The index reliability was confirmed by its strong correlation (r > 0.9) with key stress markers (Fv/Fm, Pn, and MDA). Overall, combined LTLI stress exacerbates structural degradation and PSII photoinhibition in strawberry leaves. The proposed LTLDI offers a practical, standardized tool for evaluating stress severity, facilitating timely environmental management in greenhouse strawberry production. Full article

The application of nitrification inhibitors (Nis) with nitrogen fertilizers is increasingly used as a management strategy to improve nitrogen use efficiency in crop production systems. To evaluate the effects of Ni dicyandiamide (DCD) and 1,2,4-triazole (TZ) on the rhizosphere microbiome and strawberry yield (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.), a two-year field experiment was conducted with three treatments: unfertilized control (C), mineral nitrogen fertilizer (N) applied in two doses (40 + 40 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹), and a single nitrogen application (80 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹) combined with nitrification inhibitors (N + Ni). Soil microbiota were assessed using cultivation-based methods and metabarcoding of 16S rRNA and ITS2 regions. Total bacterial counts on complex media increased from 5.85 to 6.15 log CFU g⁻¹ in the N treatment, while remaining 5.89 in N + Ni. Microscopic fungi increased in fertilized treatments during spring but decreased in July of the second year. Microbial community composition differed among treatments, although sampling time explained a larger proportion of variability than fertilization. Relative abundance of Gemmatimonas decreased under N + Ni, whereas Nitrososphaera increased. Fungal Shannon diversity decreased in N + Ni, while prokaryotic diversity did not differ significantly. Despite similar levels of mineral nitrogen measured before harvest, strawberry yield increased significantly in the N + Ni treatment in the second year, reaching 109% higher values than the control and 80% higher than the N treatment. This may indicate that the fertilization regime including nitrification inhibitors influenced nitrogen availability earlier in the growing season. Full article

Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) propagation has evolved significantly over the past 20 years, transitioning from traditional field nursery systems to advanced, controlled, environment production. This review synthesizes recent advances in propagation methods, environmental regulation, and disease management strategies. Traditional field systems face mounting challenges from soilborne pathogens (Neopestalotiopsis species, Phytophthora cactorum, Verticillium dahliae) and regulatory restrictions on methyl bromide fumigation. Plug plant technology offers 80–95% disease reduction and 3–7-week production cycles versus 12–16-weeks traditional cycles, although at higher unit costs. Advanced tray plant systems developed in the Netherlands enable 10–11 months cold storage and programmed year-round production schedules. Elevated bench propagation systems have emerged as dominant commercial technology in East Asian regions, particularly Korea and Japan, where disease pressure necessitated alternatives to conventional nurseries. Micropropagation via temporary immersion bioreactors achieves 50–100% higher multiplication rates, while ensuring virus-free status. Environmental control research reveals complex photoperiod–temperature-chilling interactions regulating dormancy and flowering. Emerging technologies include F₁ hybrid seed propagation and AI-driven automation, achieving 15–25% energy efficiency gains. Despite progress, challenges remain in cost optimization, climate adaptation, and region-specific protocols. This review provides a comparative framework for nursery system selection under evolving climatic and regulatory constraints, identifying critical knowledge gaps and future research priorities for sustainable strawberry propagation. Full article

This study aimed to develop an automated irrigation system for substrate-grown strawberry plants and to evaluate whether irrigation and biostimulation levels influence yield and fruit quality. The system comprised two Arduino Pro Mini devices equipped with LoRa transceivers, substrate moisture sensors, and servomotors for valve control. Six biostimulants were assessed [control (without biostimulation), microalga Spirulina platensis (SP), mycorrhiza Scutellospora heterogama (SH), a mycorrhizal community (SJ CS), SP + SH, and SP + SJ CS] under four irrigation levels [reference tension of 5 kPa (moderate water deficit), 10% above the reference tension (severe water deficit), 10% below the reference tension (mild water deficit), and standard irrigation without restriction] defined by substrate water tension. Data were collected in real time and analyzed using the InfluxDB (version 3 Core) and Grafana (version 12.3.2) platforms. The automated system-controlled valve activation was based on moisture sensor readings, enabling the establishment of irrigation levels supported by energy-efficient technologies. Under standard irrigation, fruits exhibited lower acidity and improved flavor compared to those from plants under water deficit. Plants subjected to mild water deficit or standard irrigation achieved higher yields than those exposed to moderate or severe deficit. Fruits produced by plants treated with S. heterogama showed higher phytochemical concentrations. Overall, the findings support the use of automated irrigation and biostimulation as sustainable management strategies to enhance water use efficiency, productivity, and fruit quality in soilless strawberry cultivation. Full article

Soil salinity is a major constraint to strawberry cultivation, adversely affecting plant growth, yield, and fruit quality. Salinity stress triggers complex physiological and biochemical responses, including osmotic adjustment, antioxidant defense, ion homeostasis, and shifts in metabolite accumulation, ultimately reducing crop productivity and fruit quality. This review synthesizes current knowledge on strawberry responses to salinity, with emphasis on physiological mechanisms, genotypic variation in tolerance, and emerging biologically based approaches, such as biostimulants, small signaling molecules, and beneficial microorganisms, that alleviate salinity stress and enhance plant resilience. In parallel, recent advances in the identification of stress-responsive genes and regulatory pathways are discussed in the context of their relevance for breeding salt-resilient cultivars. This review also identifies critical gaps in current knowledge that, despite significant progress, hinder the translation of mechanistic insights into stable yield and fruit quality under field conditions. By integrating physiological knowledge with advances in biological and breeding-based approaches, together with long-term field validation, this review provides a comprehensive framework for improving strawberry performance under saline conditions and guiding future cultivation and genetic improvement strategies. Full article

The influence of natural β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) on the overall antioxidant activity of berry extracts is presented in this study. Raw raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) and β-CD-assisted dehydrated strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) ethanolic extracts (RB and SB, respectively) were spectrophotometrically monitored in the presence of 1 mM 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH·) solution in the absence or presence of β-CD. Cyanidin 3-O-glucoside (Cy3G) was used as standard compound, being identified by RP-HPLC in both RB and SB at 14.62 and only 0.15 mg/100 g fresh weight (fw). Pelargonidin 3-O-glucoside (Plg3G) was the most concentrated anthocyanin in SB (estimated at 2.46 mg/100 g fw). Higher antioxidant activities (expressed as the radical scavenging activity, RSA, %) were obtained for SB dehydrated in the presence of β-CD. The RSA values increased by 35% in comparison with the SB dehydrated by the classical method. On the other hand, the DPPH· reaction kinetic parameters significantly differed for RB extracts evaluated in the presence of 1 mM β-CD (in water). The DPPH· reaction rate in the 3–15 min time range was 25% higher for the RB extracts obtained from the β-CD-assisted dehydrated samples. This study demonstrates for the first time the protection capacity of β-CD against the degradation of antioxidants during the classical dehydration process of berries. This technology can be extended to other fruits and scaled up for obtaining high-quality fruit-based products. Full article

In Japan, strawberries are produced in the off-season (June to November) in cool regions; however, the high temperatures and strong sunlight limit fruit production. Dark septate endophytic fungi (DSEs) support growth and flower bud formation of plants grown in environments unsuitable for plant growth. In this study, we investigated the effects of DSE on dry matter production and flower bud formation in strawberry plants grown in the summer and autumn. The seeds were sown in soil mixed with DSE on 5 February 2024. The DSEs used were Cladophialophora chaetospira SK51 (S) and Cc. MNB12 (M), and Veronaeopsis simplex Y34 (Y). Plants were planted in a plastic house on April 18. The total dry weight was significantly increased by DSEs. This is because S and Y-cultured plants did not show a significant decrease in leaf emergence under high temperatures, unlike those grown with M; however, its leaf area was larger than that of the control. This resulted in a larger leaf area for receiving light and higher cumulative light reception and light-use efficiency. Although the DSEs increased cumulative fruit yield, the harvest period was limited to July because of the extreme summer heat. In addition, there was no difference in the budding date or flowering date between the treatments. These results suggest that DSEs improve light use efficiency, thereby increasing total dry matter weight and contributing to increased fruit yield in summer-autumn cultivation. Full article

This study investigated the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), Trichoderma harzianum, and their combinations on yield and quality of strawberry fruits in a soilless cultivation system. Six treatments were applied, control (no biostimulants), T. harzianum (TH), Claroideoglomus etunicatum (CE), a multispecies mycorrhizal community (IP CS), TH + CE, and TH + IP CS, arranged in a randomized block design with four replicates. While total fruit yield was not significantly affected, the application of T. harzianum, either alone or in combination with AMF, enhanced cumulative fruit production. The use of C. etunicatum improved sugar content and the sugar/acid ratio by 28% and 31%, respectively, compared to the control. Biostimulant treatments also increased total phytochemical content, particularly with the multispecies inoculant IP CS (increased anthocyanin content by 39% compared to the control) and the combinations TH + CE (flavonoid content 41% higher than the control) and TH + IP CS (flavonoid content 39% higher than the control). Multivariate analysis grouped the treatments into two groups, with the control (no biostimulants) forming a distinct group. In conclusion, biostimulation of ‘San Andreas’ strawberry plants improved fruit quality without significantly increasing yield. The combined use of AMF and T. harzianum is proposed as a sustainable strategy for enhancing fruit quality in soilless strawberry cultivation systems. Full article

Texture is a critical quality attribute of strawberry fruit, and phytohormones play a pivotal role in fruit softening, which mainly results from cell wall metabolism, which is governed by genes and enzymes. To gain further insights into strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa, Duch. cv.  Akihime ) softening, our study investigated changes across five stages in fruits in their firmness, soluble solids content (SSC), cell microstructure, cell wall materials, activities of cell wall-modifying enzymes, gene expression, endogenous phytohormone levels, and their correlation. During strawberry ripening, firmness decreased, while SSC, intercellular space, and separation of the cell wall from the plasma membrane increased. Meanwhile, the contents of ionic pectin (ISP) and cellulose (CE), pectin methylesterase (PME) activity, FaPME expression, and the levels of zeatin (Z) and strigolactone (SL) decreased, showing a positive correlation with firmness. In contrast, the activities of pectate lyase (PL) and cellulase (Cx), the expression of FaPL and FaCx, and the contents of gibberellin A₄ (GA₄), GA₉, and abscisic acid (ABA) increased during ripening, and these were negatively correlated with firmness. These results suggest that Z and SL are associated with the maintenance of cell wall integrity and firmness, whereas increases in GA₄, GA_9, and ABA are linked to enhanced cell wall disassembly and fruit softening. Full article

The increasing demand for sustainable agricultural practices has led to the exploration of natural biostimulants. This study investigates the effects of tannin extracts obtained via hydrodynamic cavitation and Chlorella vulgaris microalgae on the growth and physiological performance of strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch) plants. A preliminary phytotoxicity test using Lepidium sativum L. confirmed the safety of the tannin water extract. Subsequently, two main experiments were conducted: the first identified the optimal tannin concentration, while the second assessed the individual and combined effects of tannins and C. vulgaris on strawberry plants. The results show that tannin water extract at double concentration of the commercial tannin (54% T.E.) significantly increased leaf dry biomass by 75% and doubled the number of main roots compared to the control. In the second experiment, C. vulgaris at 50% concentration (C1) enhanced fresh leaf biomass by 14% and fresh roots by 20%, while tannin extract (T) showed a declining effect on plant biomass as compared to the control. Positive effects were also observed for root growth in the combined treatment T+C1, with 32% fresh root biomass more than in the control. Regarding fruit, C1 maintained high fruit yield from the beginning of the experiment until September, while T+C1 showed a marked rising trend, reaching a comparable number of fruits to C1, about twofold more than the control. A chemical analysis of the main micro- and macro-elements in roots and leaves resulted in T+C1 having the highest content of Zn and Fe and C1 having the highest content of Fe and K (the latter only in the leaves) as compared to other treatments. In contrast, T+C1 showed about 50% less P and K in the leaves than in C. vulgaris treatments. In addition, in the tannin treatment, microelements such as Fe and Zn accumulated in the roots, evidencing absorption from the soil, but low translocation to the leaves. However, all treatments showed similar photosynthetic performance in terms of leaf gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence. These findings suggest that extracts of C. vulgaris and tannins or their blends represent a promising strategy for improving crop productivity and resilience in a sustainable manner. Full article

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. Full article

The objective of this research endeavor is to present engineering data pertaining to the size and shape characteristics of strawberries, which have a wide range of applications in industry, and to obtain the data necessary for the development and design of product processing systems. In this study, standard strawberry varieties were utilized, and analyses were conducted by means of an image-processing method. The projection area (601.5–762.0 mm²), length (34.0 mm), width (28.6 mm) and surface area (28.6 cm²) of the strawberry samples were measured in the horizontal and vertical orientation, in order to ascertain their size characteristics. Furthermore, the sphericity (86.1%) and roundness (1.039–1.087) parameters were calculated for the shape characteristics, accordingly. The findings of the correlation analysis suggested that the size parameters of the fruits exerted no influence on fruit shape characteristics. In the elliptic Fourier analysis performed to reveal the shape differences in the fruit, the contour geometry of each fruit sample was extracted, the principal component (PC) scores describing the shape were obtained and the shape categories of the fruit were determined. Following the analysis of the PCs, it was determined that 90.77% of the total shape variance was explained by the first seven components. Consequently, the shape of the strawberry fruit was defined as a spherical cone. Following the implementation of a discriminant analysis in conjunction with a clustering process, which categorized the samples into seven distinct shape categories employing the k-means algorithm, an accuracy rate of 94.1% was achieved. Full article

Both abscisic acid (ABA) and ethylene play essential roles in the ripening process of strawberry fruit (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.). In this study, the crosstalk between ABA and ethylene involved in strawberry fruit ripening was investigated. The results showed that ethylene triggered a 1.30-fold increase in ABA levels by suppressing the expression of miR396. Meanwhile, the silencing of miR396 (STTM396 reporter) demonstrated that miR396 acts as a negative regulatory factor of ABA biosynthesis by repressing FaNCED2 expression. Additionally, dual-luciferase assays indicated a 0.56-fold suppression of FaNCED2 promoter activity by miR396. These findings reveal a novel regulatory mechanism in which ethylene promotes ABA biosynthesis through the suppression of miR396 expression in postharvest strawberry fruit. Full article

To understand the potential uses of strawberry leaves and their application in the industrial sector, it is important to study their metabolic and lignocellulosic profile. The objective of the study was to characterize the metabolic profile of strawberry leaves grown with biostimulants and to verify whether this by-product can be utilized as a matrix for bioethanol production. The eight treatments studied were the absence and presence of biostimulants, as follows: arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), Ascophyllum nodosum (AN), Trichoderma harzianum (TH), AMF + AN, AMF + TH, AN + TH, and AMF + AN + TH. Treatments were applied monthly, either manually (AMF) or with a micropipette (AN and TH), from June 2023 to March 2024. Hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) analysis identified 11 metabolites in the leaves, including 5 amino acids, 4 organic acids, and 2 carbohydrates, which may be of industrial interest. The leaves were used for bioethanol production through saccharification with cellulolytic enzymes, followed by fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Enzymatic hydrolysis resulted in a total reducing sugar content of 21.12 g·L⁻¹. Alcoholic fermentation yielded 8.97 g·L⁻¹ of bioethanol in 12 h, which corresponds to 45.48 L·t⁻¹ of dry leaves. In conclusion, regardless of biostimulation, strawberry leaves are an important repository of metabolites that can be used as raw material in different processes. Additionally, the leaves are suitable as raw material for bioethanol production in a biorefinery concept. Full article

Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) is a widely cultivated and economically important fruit crop with increasing consumer demand worldwide. Nowadays, in Uzbekistan, strawberry cultivation surpasses that of many other fruits and vegetables in terms of production volume. However, most genetic studies have focused on a limited set of cultivars, leaving a substantial portion of varietal diversity unexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the genetic variability and heritability among selected strawberry cultivars, as well as correlations between certain valuable agronomic traits, using molecular and statistical approaches. Polymorphism analysis was performed, using 67 gene-specific SSR markers, through PCR, and allele variations were observed in 46.3% of the markers analyzed. Among them, 31 markers displayed polymorphic bands, identifying fifty alleles, with one to four alleles per marker. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using MEGA 11 software, while statistical evaluations included AMOVA (GenAIEx), correlation (OriginPro), and descriptive statistics based on standard agronomic methods. Additionally, the degree of cross-compatibility and pollen viability among the cultivars were studied, and their significance for cultivar hybridization was analyzed. The highest fruit weight was observed in the Cinderella cultivar (26.2 g), and a moderate negative correlation (r = −0.688) was found between fruit number and fruit weight. These findings demonstrate the potential of molecular tools for assessing genetic diversity and provide valuable insights for breeding programs aimed at developing improved strawberry cultivars with desirable agronomic traits. Full article