Comparison of the effects of rockwool and coir medium on the growth, fruit quality, and productivity of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) in greenhouse soilless culture
摘要
Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) is cultivated in greenhouse in the winter season. Recently, the use of hydroponic cultivation systems with hanging bed is steadily increasing. Thus in soilless cultivation, the physicochemical properties of the substrates should be considered. Rockwool and coir substrates have been used in strawberry soilless cultivation for economic improvement and productivity increase. This study was conducted to compare strawberry plant growth and production between the two different substrates of rockwool and coir. The experiment was conducted from September 2019 to April 2020 at automatic controlled greenhouse in Andong National University (N 36.5°, E 128.8°, 4 multi-span, polyolefin film, width: 25 m, length: 24 m, height: 9.6 m. The experiment used Strawberry cultivar of Seolhyang, and Yamazaki nutrient solution. The growth of strawberries, depending on the type of substrate, showed that the transition to reproductive growth occurred faster in rockwool substrate compared to coir substrate, and both the number of fruits and total yield were higher in rockwool. Conversely, vegetative growth was more vigorous in coir substrate than in rockwool. The sugar content and firmness of the fruits were not significantly affected by the type of substrate. In future research, an economic comparison of the different substrates is needed.