Morpho-physiological performance of seven short-day and day-neutral strawberry cultivars in the soilless culture

Strawberry cultivation requires the use of cultivars adapted to the field or greenhouse conditions of the production region. Seven commercial short-day (SD) and day-neutral (DN) strawberry cultivars (Camarosa, Kurdistan, Mrak, Paros, Queen Elisa, Selva, Ventana) were compared using a completely randomized design for different morpho-physiological characters under greenhouse conditions. The cultivars showed variation for all of the studied traits. Days to flowering varied from 53.2 to 94.5 days among the cultivars and Paros followed by Camarosa required minimum days for flowering. The highest total chlorophyll content and fruit volume were obtained in Camarosa and Paros, while the highest fruit weight was found in Paros, Ventana, Camarosa and Kurdistan. The cultivar Camarosa produced the highest flower number (42.0), fruit number (36.3), fruit firmness (4.8 N) and yield (424.7 g per plant). The TSS/TA ratio was maximum in Paros and minimum in Ventana and Mrak. The highest fruit anthocyanin was recorded in Camarosa and Selva. Yield per plant had a positive correlation with total chlorophyll content of leaves, number of flower and fruit, weight and volume of fruit, while negatively correlated to leaf area and crown number. According to stepwise multiple regression analysis, yield had the highest positive relationship with the number of flowers and fruit weight, respectively. Generally, vegetative traits, as well as days to flowering and fruiting, were higher in the DN cultivars (Mrak, Selva). However, the SD cultivars produced higher flower numbers, fruit size and yield than the DN cultivars. The cultivars Camarosa and Paros were most adapted to the greenhouse conditions among the experimental cultivars.