MULCH TYPE EFFECTS IN ANNUAL HILL STRAWBERRY PLASTICULTURE SYSTEMS

Fresh dug `Chandler' and `Selva' strawberry plants were fall planted in 1990, 1991, and 1992 on fumigated, trickle irrigated, raised beds covered with either six or eight different plastic mulches plus a bare ground (BG) treatment. Plastic mulch treatments included clear (CLR), black (BLK), laminated white on black (W/B), laminated black on white (B/W), IRT-76 (IRT), AL-OR brown (ALOR), silver (SIL), and red (RED). The highest yields for `Chandler' in 1990 were obtained on IRT followed by CLR, ALOR, B/W, BLK, W/B, and BG. The highest yields for `Selva' were on CLR followed by BLK, ALOR, IRT, B/W, W/B, and BG. The highest yields for `Chandler' in 1991 were on W/B followed by BLK, ALOR, IRT, B/W, CLR, and BG. In the case of `Selva' ALOR was the top performing treatment followed by IRT, W/B, BLK, B/W, BG, and CLR. The first two years of data were inconclusive. Data from 1992 planting will be included to clarify yield, earliness, and season length effects.