Effects of cultural cycles and nutrient solutions on plant growth, yield and fruit quality of alpine strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.) grown in hydroponics

Alpine strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.) was grown in hydroponics with the nutrient film technique, in order to evaluate the effects of four buffer concentrations (1.3, 1.6, 1.9, 2.2mScm−1) and two cultural cycles (summer-spring versus autumn-spring) in terms of growth, yield and fruit quality (dry and optical residues, sugars, acids, antioxidants, mineral composition). The longer summer-spring cycle gave a correspondingly higher yield than the autumn-spring one. The 1.3mScm−1 nutrient solution was the most effective in terms of overall and spring production. However, the autumn and winter yields were not affected by the buffer EC. Fruit quality did not change with the cultural cycle, but the berries harvested in the spring had higher vitamin C and sucrose content and lower nitrate content compared with berries picked up in the winter. Fruit quality was also improved when the nutrient solution concentration increased. From the productive point of view, the cultural cycle choice should be made considering that 71% of the yield of the more productive summer-spring cycle derived from the spring harvest. Moreover, as regards the nutrient solution strength, 1.3mScm−1 EC should be preferred during the spring season, whereas the 2.2mScm−1 EC proved to be best in the winter in terms of fruit quality.