Influence of stolon tips position in the agronomic performance of strawberry plantlets

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate whether the position of stolon tips influences the agronomic performance of strawberry plantlets. Two cultivars from Embrapa breeding program were evaluated: BRS DC22 and BRS DC25 (Fênix). The assessed parameters were crown diameter, root system length, root dry mass, yield, and agronomic characteristics. Cultivation in the municipality of Pelotas, Brazil, did not result in differences in mean fruit production, and yield. The BRS DC22 cultivar produced the highest number of fruits and crowns per plant while fruits from BRS DC25 (Fênix) cultivar had the highest mean fruit mass. The position of stolon tips directly influenced plantlets quality. First-order tips had larger crown diameters, while 4^th order tips had greater root dry mass. The BRS DC25 (Fênix) cultivar tips had larger crown diameters and lower root dry mass compared with BRS DC22 cultivar plantlets. Propagule order did not affect mean fruit yield. The propagule position influences the survival rate of the BRS DC25 (Fênix) cultivar plantlets, with 1^st order propagules showing the lowest survival rate for this genotype. The position of stolon tips may have a direct relationship with plantlet quality.