Crop Geometry and Mulch on Strawberry Postharvest Quality

Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) is a natural hybrid species that is cultivated all over the world for its aggregate accessory fruits. Strawberry earns a great respect in the world fruit market owing to its fascinating colour and appealing distinctive flavour, and in India became very popular amongst the farming community due to early production and premium prices. However, the growers do not seem to adopt proper agronomic practices due to various reasons. Amongst the various factors responsible for low production, inappropriate crop geometry and poor selection of mulch material are important. Crop geometry plays a remarkable role for enhancement of strawberry quality through effective utilisation of solar radiation, nutrients and underground resources bringing about better photosynthate formation. The utilisation of mulch in commercial crop production has been practiced to evolve quality strawberry production with reduced disease incidence. The present study was conducted to determine the response of crop geometry and mulch on the postharvest quality of strawberry. Based on yield, quality and economics, the treatment combination (40 cm × 40 cm plant spacing with silver black mulch) was found to be the most viable economic proposition for strawberry in Jorhat condition of Assam.