Efficacy of various mulches for modulation of strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) yield, quality and shelf life

High temperature and low moisture-holing capacity in soil are one of the major constraints for strawberry production under southeastern region, particularly in subtropical climate of Rajasthan. To mitigate these challenges, the current experiment was conducted to examine the impact of different mulching materials on strawberry ( Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) cv. Camarosa on yield, quality and shelf life of strawberry fruits under southeastern region of Rajasthan. The application of black polyethylene mulch significantly improved the plant height, the number of leaves per plant, number of stolon’s per plant, berry weight, berry length, berry width, soluble solid content, TSS: acid ratio, juice content, vitamin C, reducing sugar, non-reducing sugar, total sugars, anthocyanin, as well as leaf nitrogen, leaf phosphorus, leaf potassium content. It also resulted low acidity compared to control. On the other hand the use of wheat straw reduced weight loss, and fruit spoilage, while enhancing the shelf life of fruits as compared to black polyethylene mulch. Hence, it can be concluded from the present investigation that the application of black polyethylene mulch significantly improved the vegetative growth, physio-chemical properties and leaf nutrients composition of strawberry plants followed by silver black polyethylene mulch. Meanwhile, organic mulches (wheat straw & paddy straw) significantly reduced the weight loss, minimized fruit spoilage and improved the shelf life of the fruits.