Fruit of `Cardinal' and `Fern' were harvested, acid washed, decapped, and frozen to -20° C on 6 May 88. Frozen fruits were subsequently divided into six parts. The upper and lower fruit halves were further separated into pulp, dermal, and seed components. Nutrients increased from the pulp to the seed with the exception of Al. K was most abundant in receptacle tissue (but not in seeds) followed by P, Ca, and Mg. K, Ca, Mg, and Cu were higher and Mn and Zn lower in pulp upper tissue than lower pulp tissue. K, Ca, Na, Zn, and A1 were higher in upper dermal tissue than in lower dermal tissue. Ca, Cu, and B were higher and Mg and Mn lower in upper octanes than in lower achenes. In descending order, Ca, P, Mg, and K were the most abundant seed nutrients. Supplementing strawberries with 904 Kg Ca/ha increased only the seed Ca levels. All levels of supplemental pre-harvest Ca were found to reduce postharvest decay. Although `Fern' was higher in seed Ca, with similar Ca levels in receptacle tissue, fruit decay was higher than in `Cardinal'. There appears to be no clear relationship between fruit decay and Ca distribution within the fruit.
DISTRIBUTION OF CALCIUM AND OTHER STRAWBERRY FRUIT NUTRIENTS AS EFFECTED BY SUPPLEMENTAL CALCIUM FERTILITY
