Yield of strawberry crops under different irrigation levels and biofertilizer doses

Abstract

Strawberry is produced and appreciated in different regions of the world, due to its productive and
commercial characteristics. Biofertilizer is an organic fertilizer that is easy to prepare and effective to nourish plants. The
objective of this work was to assess the effect of different irrigation levels and anaerobically fermented bovine biofertilizer
doses, on biomass accumulation and strawberry crop yield. The experiment was carried out in the experimental area of
the UFC, in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, from August to December 2012, under a screened environment. The experimental
design was randomized blocks designed into subdivided plots, in which irrigation levels were applied via drip irrigation
(equivalent to 33.3, 66.6, 100, 133.3 and 166.6% of the evaporation measured in the Class A tank - ECA), corresponding
to the plots. The four doses of bovine biofertilizer (125, 250, 375 and 500 mL plant-1 week-1) were the subplots, with four
replications. The assessed parameters were: biomass (root, shoot and total dry matter), fruit diameter, fruit length, number
of fruits per plant, average fruit mass and yield. The biofertilizer and irrigation increased strawberry shoot biomass and
total biomass. The interaction between irrigation and bovine biofertilizer raised the root matter to 3.7 g. The biofertilizer
was nutritionally efficient for the strawberry regarding number of fruit, fruit diameter and yield. Irrigation increased
strawberry length and average mass.