Longer Duration of Short-day Treatment Is Required to Advance Flowering and Fruiting of Decaploid Strawberry ‘Tokun’

Abstract

Strawberry ‘Tokun’ (2n = 10x =70) is a unique cultivar with special flavors, but its late maturity hampers its extension. To advance flowering and fruiting of this decaploid strawberry, the effects of short-day combined with extra nitrogen (N) nutrition treatments on strawberry ‘Tokun’ plants were studied. Runner plantlets of strawberry ‘Tokun’ were harvested and rooted in tray plugs in June 2016, 2017, and 2018, and established plants were conditioned with short-day (SD; 10 hours) and extra N nutrition. The conditioned plants were transplanted into a tabletop substrate culture system in a plastic greenhouse on 27 Aug., 3 Sept., and 10 Sept. during the 3 years, respectively, and the plants received full-element nutrient solution through the drip tube during the whole experimental period. The number of runners and lateral buds, flowering and fruiting periods, and fruit yield were investigated. Longer duration (6–7 weeks) of the SD treatment (10 hours) could significantly reduce the number of runners and increase the number of lateral buds of strawberry ‘Tokun’, advance flowering and fruiting, and achieve a fruit yield of ≈200 g/plant from November to December. The positive effect of extra N nutrition on flowering and fruiting of strawberry ‘Tokun’ was not found. This study is of great practical importance and guiding significance for cultivation and extension of the decaploid strawberry ‘Tokun’.