Strawberry Yield and Marketable Quality as Affected by Different Flowering Inter-Crops

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
Gerard Podedworny
Małgorzata Tartanus
Eligio Malusá
Laboratory of Entomology, Department of Plant Protection, National Institute of Horticultural Research in Skierniewice, Poland.
Abstract
A two-year field experiment evaluated the impact of three inter-crops on the agronomic performance of Fragaria × ananassa cv. ‘Lycia’ in an organic farming system. The multiple linear regression model indicated that the flower strip (a mixture of selected annual and perennial flowering plants grown on one side along the edge of the crop) and the flower islands (the same mixture grown as smaller patches within the strawberry rows) increased the cumulative marketable strawberry yield by 5.2 (95% CI: 0.6-9.9) and 5.4 (95% CI: 0.7-10.1) t ha⁻¹ respectively, over the yield for the traditional management system of 6.5 (95% CI: 3.2-9.8) t ha-1. Both practices also reduced the incidence of fruit damage. However, the white clover living mulch did not significantly improve the strawberry yield, while delaying fruit ripening and increasing the proportion of damage by slugs and pathogenic rot. Neither the average fruit weight nor fruit colouration were affected by the inter-cropping.  

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Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 15 December 2025