Strawberry cultivars fruit production and postharvest from two types of saplings

The establishment of strawberry crops in southern Brazil is conditioned on the delivery of bare-root saplings imported from Argentina and/or Chile. An alternative to reduce dependence on the acquisition of these saplings is their replacement by clod-rooted saplings that form a clod. However, information on the agronomic performance of clod-rooted saplings is scarce. The aim of this work was to investigate whether the association between types of saplings and strawberry cultivars alters fruit production and postharvest. The treatments were three cultivars (Fronteras, Monterey and Portola) and two types of saplings (bare-root and rooted in a clod), arranged in a randomized block design, with three replications. The productive potential and chemical quality of fruits were evaluated. Plants from saplings rooted in clods showed higher number and fruit production. Plants from bare -root saplings produced larger fruits. The postharvest of fruits was not altered by the treatments. It is concluded that the productive potential and postharvest of fruits of strawberry cultivars is not associated with the types of saplings studied. Regardless of the cultivar, plants from saplings rooted in clods are more productive. The three cultivars tested, of saplings with bare-roots or rooted in clods, present a balanced relationship between sugar and acidity, giving the desired flavor to the fruits in their postharvest period.