A Novel Approach for Organic Strawberry Cultivation: Vermicompost-Based Fertilization and Microbial Complementary Nutrition

This study investigated the effects of vermicompost fertilization with complementary microbial nutrition on the plant growth, yield, and fruit quality of the organically grown strawberry “Monterey” cultivar. Along with vermicompost, five different microbial fertilizers containing plant-growth-promot...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Horticulturae 2023-05, Vol.9 (6), p.642
Main Authors: Kilic, Neslihan, Dasgan, Hayriye Yildiz, Gruda, Nazim S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acidity
Application
Arbuscular mycorrhizas
bacteria
Composting
Crop yield
Cultivars
Cultivation
Environmental aspects
Enzymes
Experiments
Farming
Fertilization
Fertilizers
Fragaria × ananassa Duch
Fruit cultivation
fruit quality
Fruits
Fungi
Horticulture
Leaves
Methods
Microorganisms
mycorrhiza
Nitrogen
Nutrient concentrations
Nutrition
Organic farming
Physiological aspects
Plant growth
Strawberries
vermicompost
Vermicomposting
Worms
yield
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Summary:This study investigated the effects of vermicompost fertilization with complementary microbial nutrition on the plant growth, yield, and fruit quality of the organically grown strawberry “Monterey” cultivar. Along with vermicompost, five different microbial fertilizers containing plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) were used as complementary nutrition. Here, we examined plant growth parameters, strawberry yield, fruit weight, pH, total soluble solids, and acidity in fruit and leaf mineral nutrient concentrations. Vermicompost-based fertilization with PGPR and AMF improved plant growth, yield, and fruit quality. The highest total yield (216.75 g per plant−1) and heaviest fruits with an average of 18.11 g were obtained from the vermicompost-based fertilization with PGPR containing complementary fertilization. This included Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus pumilus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus megaterium, Trichoderma harzianum, and Trichoderma konigii. This treatment also resulted in the best ratio of total soluble solids to acidity (18.74), pH (3.95), and mineral nutrient concentrations in leaves. The novel approach with vermicompost-based fertilization and complementary microbial nutrition improves organic strawberries’ growth, yield, and fruit quality. These results are promising for enhancing organic strawberry production.
ISSN:2311-7524
2311-7524
DOI:10.3390/horticulturae9060642