scholarly journals Red and Black Mulch Color Affects Production of Florida Strawberries

HortScience ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.J. Locascio ◽  
J.P. Gilreath ◽  
S. Olson ◽  
C.M. Hutchinson ◽  
C.A. Chase
Keyword(s):  
Photosynthetically Active Radiation ◽  
Fruit Size ◽  
Low Density Polyethylene ◽  
Low Density ◽  
Fragaria Ananassa ◽  
Active Radiation ◽  
Soil Temperatures ◽  
Marketable Fruit

Strawberries (Fragaria ×ananassa, Duch) were grown in the annual hill system at four locations in Florida to compare the effects of standard black low density polyethylene (LDPE) mulch and red reflective mulch (SMR-red) on fruit size and production. Marketable fruit size was not affected by mulch color. Early and total marketable fruit yields were not affected by mulch color at Bradenton, but yields were significantly higher at Gainesville with red than black mulch, and were significantly higher with black than red mulch at Quincy and Hastings. Soil temperatures under the black mulch were significantly higher than red mulch at Hastings but significantly higher under red than black mulch at Gainesville. Mean soil temperatures at soil depths of 5 to 25 cm ranged from 0.2 to 0.4 °C Reflected photosynthetically active radiation values at 25 and 50 cm above the mulch were higher earlier in the season and decreased as the season progressed. Within a month after transplanting when foliage covered about 10% of the mulch, reflections were lower and similar at both heights with black mulch than red and were higher at 25 than 50 cm with red mulch. Data indicate that there was not a consistent advantage of the use of this red mulch over black mulch at four locations in Florida.

scholarly journals Microclimate under different shading screens in greenhouses cultivated with bromeliads

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. 858-863 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ester Holcman ◽  
Paulo C. Sentelhas
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Photosynthetically Active Radiation ◽  
External Condition ◽  
Low Density Polyethylene ◽  
Low Density ◽  
Net Radiation ◽  
Active Radiation ◽  
Incoming Solar Radiation

This study had as its objective the evaluation of the influence of shading screens of different colors on the different microclimate variables in a greenhouse covered with transparent low-density polyethylene (LDPE). The experiment was conducted with five treatments: thermo-reflective screen (T1); a control - without screen (T2); red screen (T3); blue screen (T4); and black screen (T5), all of them with 70% of shading. An automatic micrometeorological station was installed in each treatment, measuring air temperature (T), relative humidity (RH), incoming solar radiation (Rg), photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and net radiation (Rn) continuously. The control (T2) and red screen (T3) treatments promoted the highest solar radiation transmissivity, respectively 56.3 and 27%. The black screen (T5) had the lowest solar radiation transmissivity (10.4%). For PAR and Rn the same tendency was observed. The highest temperature was observed under blue screen (T4) treatment, which was 1.3 °C higher than external condition. Blue screen (T4) treatment also presented the highest relative humidity difference between inside and outside conditions.

scholarly journals Temperature Has a Greater Effect on Fruit Growth than Defoliation or Fruit Thinning in Strawberries in the Subtropics

Agriculture ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 127
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Menzel
Keyword(s):  
Opposite Effect ◽  
Fruit Size ◽  
Fruit Weight ◽  
Fruit Growth ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Fragaria Ananassa ◽  
Fruit Thinning ◽  
Mature Leaves ◽  
Small Fruit ◽  
Marketable Fruit

Fruit size declines in strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) as the season progresses in many subtropical areas, possibly due to inadequate leaf area, over-cropping, or high temperatures. An experiment was conducted to investigate the importance of these factors on fruit growth in ‘Festival’ in Queensland, Australia. Groups of plants were defoliated to remove half of the mature leaves on each plant, thinned to remove all the inflorescences on each plant, or defoliated and thinned. Control plants were left intact. Defoliation, thinning, or defoliation + thinning decreased yield (total and/or marketable) by 15% to 24% compared with the control. Defoliation, or defoliation + thinning decreased average fruit weight (total and/or marketable fruit) by 1 to 2 g compared with the control, whereas thinning had the opposite effect. The incidence of small fruit increased towards the end of the season. There were strong relationships between fruit weight and average daily mean temperature in the seven weeks before harvest (R2s greater than 0.80). Fruit weight decreased from 24 g to 8 g as the temperature increased from 16 °C to 20 °C. This response was not affected by defoliation or thinning. The strong effect of temperature on fruit size indicates a problem for production in the future in the absence of heat-tolerant cultivars.

scholarly journals REPLACEMENT-PLANTED WATERMELON HILLS

HortScience ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 739b-739
Author(s):  
Melvin R. Hall
Keyword(s):  
Fruit Size ◽  
Direct Seeding ◽  
Soil Temperatures ◽  
Direct Seeded ◽  
Marketable Fruit ◽  
Total Tonnage

Primary vine lengths of `Crimson Sweet' watermelon direct-seeded on 25 March and 24 April 1992 were 62 and 58 cm within 7 and 5 weeks, respectively. Lengths of replacement vines direct-seeded on 20 April and 14 May in the respective plantings were 6% and 5%) while transplants were 46% and 52% of these lengths. Total number of marketable fruit and total tonnage yield from late March plantings (suboptimal soil temperatures) in 1992 and 1993 were enhanced when missing hills were replanted either by direct seeding or transplanting. However, these measurements from late April plantings (optimal soil temperatures) were not influenced by missing hills or replanting methods in either year. Distribution of fruit sizes varied for the two years and there was no consistent pattern to indicate how fruit size influenced total number of marketable fruit or total marketable tonnage yield.

scholarly journals Alternative conifer release treatments affect below- and near-ground microclimate

1997 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillip E. Reynolds ◽  
Donald A. Buckley ◽  
James A. Simpson ◽  
Andrew M. Gordon ◽  
Donald A. Gresch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Photosynthetically Active Radiation ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Active Radiation ◽  
Soil Temperatures ◽  
Glyphosate Herbicide ◽  
And Control ◽  
Thermistor Resistance

Li-Cor weather stations and thermistor/resistance soil cells were used during 1994 to monitor microclimate in young spruce plantations during the first growing season after the following replicated alternative conifer release treatments [brush saw, Silvana Selective, Release® (a.i., triclopyr) herbicide. Vision® (a.i., glyphosate) herbicide], and control (no treatment) were applied. Treatments were conducted in mid-August (herbicides) and late October and early November (cutting) 1993. In 1994, temperature, photosynthetically-active radiation (PAR), and relative humidity (RH) were monitored near (0.25 m) and above (2 m) the forest floor. Fiberglass thermistor/resistance soils cells were installed 15 and 30 cm deep, and soil moisture and temperature were read bimonthly. In relation to controls, PAR near and above the forest floor increased on all conifer release treatments. By July, PAR near the forest floor declined on both the cut and herbicide treatments. That decline occurred in early July for the brush saw treatment, but in late July for the Vision® treatment. PAR at 2 m was similar among conifer release alternatives and significantly greater than for controls throughout the growing season. Increased solar radiation resulted in significant soil warming following the conifer release treatments. During the growing season, duff (5 cm) and mineral (15 cm) soil temperatures were highest for the Vision® and Release® treatments, and lower on the brush saw and control treatments. November soil temperatures were slightly cooler in released than control plots. Frequent rains resulted in relatively high RH and soil moisture readings during the 1994 growing season. Relative humidity near the forest floor was lowest for the Vision®, intermediate for the brush saw, and highest for the control treatments. During the growing season after treatments, soil moisture levels were higher on treated than control plots. Key words: microclimate, alternative conifer release treatments, Fallingsnow Ecosystem Project, photosynthetically-active radiation (PAR), soil temperature and moisture, relative humidity, ecosystem study

White mulch and a south facing position favour strawberry growth and quality in high latitude tunnel cultivation

2007 ◽  
Vol 87 (2) ◽  
pp. 317-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. T. Karhu ◽  
R. Puranen ◽  
A. Aflatuni
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Fruit Size ◽  
Soluble Solids ◽  
First Year ◽  
Fragaria Ananassa ◽  
Double Row ◽  
North East ◽  
Northern Latitudes ◽  
Soil Temperatures ◽  
Second Year

Polyethylene mulches with black or white surface were compared in seven strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) genotypes in a 2-yr experiment. The plants were covered by an unheated walk-in tunnel at the beginning of the first harvest season. The effects of a south-west versus north-east position of plants within the double-row beds were also studied. Soil temperatures were higher under black mulch, especially mid-day temperatures on the bed surface in the southward position. White mulch favoured root and crown growth in the first year, and the southwest position increased plant growth in both years. With black mulch, lower carbohydrate reserves were observed after transplanting, and a decreased chlorophyll content of leaves was detected in the second year. Mulch colour did not affect yield quantity. The first-year harvest was advanced with black mulch, but in the second year, the harvest season was earliest on the south side of beds with white mulch. Black mulch decreased fruit size in the first year and the concentration of fruit soluble solids in both years. The results suggest that in northern latitudes white mulch improves strawberry plant growth and fruit quality over that obtained using black mulch, but enhanced yield is not to be expected when a double-row tunnel cultivation system is used. Key words: Fragaria × ananassa, mulch, plasticulture, polyethylene, strawberry, tunnel

scholarly journals Development of Suitable Microclimate Using Low˗tech Greenhouse for Off-Season Production of High Value Crops in Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 95-103
Author(s):  
M. A. Awal ◽  
P. C. Dhar ◽  
M. H. R. Pramanik
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Film Thickness ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Photosynthetically Active Radiation ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Active Radiation ◽  
Horticultural Crops ◽  
Season Extension ◽  
Soil Temperatures ◽  
Solar Noon

Low˗tech greenhouses (low˗techs) have been used globally to cultivate horticultural crops since many years, but their utilization in Bangladesh is a recent phenomenon. Moreover, information on altered microclimate inside the low˗tech is hardly reported. An investigation has been conducted in the Crop Botany Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University (24o72´N, 90o43´E and 18 masl), Mymensingh during the late autumn to winter seasons from mid-October to mid-February of 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18 years to find out the variation in microclimatic parameters between inside and outside of low˗techs and to evaluate the suitability of altered microclimate inside the low˗techs for off˗season production of high value crops in Bangladesh. Three low˗techs were erected in each year using bamboo frame covered with single inflated polyethylene film (thickness = 0.2 mm). Major microclimatic parameters inside and aside outside the low˗techs were measured with standard devices or techniques. Around 30 percent incoming photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) was cut˗off by low˗tech cover during solar noon when the sun’s zenith gets minimum value (around 0o). However, this cut˗off portion of PAR was gradually increased with the sunrise and sunset when zenith is around 90o. During the daytime, low˗tech retains higher air temperature than that found at outside and the differences in air temperature between inside and outside of low˗techs was gradually increased after sunrise with a peak difference of 7 to 9 oC following the solar noon (i.e., 13:00-14:00 hour). No distinct variation in relative humidity was recorded between inside and outside of the low˗tech. Low˗tech cover retains higher soil temperature than that was recorded in outside. The variation of both air and soil temperatures between inside and outside of low˗techs was higher during the daytime but lower at nighttime or even at daytime when the sky remained overcast. The variation in microclimatic parameters under low˗techs not only protect the growing crops from climate vagaries during autumn, winter and spring seasons but also provide suitable warmer environment for growing many high value crops during that seasons and thus crop production in off˗season and/or season extension benefits can easily be achieved by low˗techs.

scholarly journals PERFORMANCE AND POTENTIAL OF SOLAR INFRARED TRANSMITTING MULCHES

HortScience ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 625f-625
Author(s):  
J. Brent Loy ◽  
Otho S. Wells
Keyword(s):  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Photosynthetically Active Radiation ◽  
Infrared Radiation ◽  
Canopy Development ◽  
Active Radiation ◽  
Weed Growth ◽  
Soil Temperatures ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Leaf Canopy

Experimental mulches which transmit high levels of solar infrared radiation and low levels of photosynthetically active radiation were compared to clear and black polyethylene mulches. Increases in soil temperature under infrared transmitting (IRT) mulches were intermediate between those under black and clear mulch. The IRT mulch with the highest solar transmittance (50%) produced soil temperatures close to those under clear mulch (T = 87%). Early leaf canopy development in muskmelon was enhanced more by both IRT and clear mulches than with black mulch. Minimal weed growth occurred under IRT mulches, but there was severe weed pressure from purslane under clear mulch with no herbicide.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document