Effect of mulches on growth, production and quality of strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch) cv. Winter Dawn under different growing environments

An experiment entitled ‘Effect of mulches on growth, production and quality of strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) cv. Winter Dawn under different growing environments’ was conducted at College of Horticulture and Forestry, Jhalawar, Rajasthan. The experiment consisted of sixteen treatments comprising three mulch materials [Rice husk (M1), White polythene (M2) and Black polythene (M3)] along with control without mulch (M0) under four growing environments [Open field (T0), Agro shade net (T1), Naturally ventilated polyhouse (T2) and Fan pad system greenhouse (T3)] in Randomized Block Design with three replications. The maximum crown height (29.33 cm), plant fresh weight (235.00 g) and plant dry weight (57.28 g) was recorded with treatment M1T2. The maximum number of leaves per plant (97.44) and total chlorophyll content (3.26 mg g-1) was recorded with M2T0. Plant spread was observed maximum (51.80 cm (E-W) and 49.88 cm (N-S) in M3T2. Under M3T0 condition produced the maximum fruit length (54.00 mm), fruit width (42.59 mm), fresh weight (36.74 g) and dry weight (2.88 g) of fruit and also fruit yield per plant (536.55 g). Minimum days to first flower initiation (21.66 days) and first fruit set (26.44 days) were recorded in the treatment M3T3. The maximum harvest period (139.44 days), number of pickings (26.00) and number of fruits per plant (39.66) were observed in M3T2. Minimum number of days (52.30 days) to first harvest was recorded in the treatment M1T0. The maximum TSS (7.30 °B), Vitamin C (52.54 mg 100 g1), total (5.15 %) and reducing sugar (4.06 %) were observed in treatment M3T0 whereas minimum titratable acidity (1.45 %), maximum TSS/acid ratio (4.97) and maximum anthocyanin content (45.51 mg 100 g-1) was recorded in the treatment M3T2. Thus, the study reveals that the maximum economical parameters of strawberry yield attributing characters were recorded in black polythene mulching under open field (M3T0).