RESEARCH ON STRAWBERRY PLUG PLANTS IN SOILLESS COLTIVATION

n recent years, the main advances in strawberry cultivation in Italy have regarded cultivation techniques, the use of alternatives to methyl bromide and the type of propagation material used. Fresh plants have taken over from cold-stored plants in 60% of cases. This prompted the need for new studies on the cultivation of fresh strawberry plants carried out in Sicilian nurseries. This report illustrates the results of a trial carried out in Sicily to find the best plug plants grown by four nurseries located at different altitudes (Madonie mountains, Sicani mountains, Nebrodi mountans) and on the plain (Marsala) and with an open cycle soilless system. The trial was carried out at our experimental fields located in Palermo, in a cold greenhouse. Tudla plug plants originating from four areas of Sicily were planted in the last week of September. Plug plants produced by plants from high altitude nurseries ripen earlier than the others. The yield and average berry weight of plug plants from nurseries located in the high mountain areas (Sicani mountains, Nebrodi mountains) (yield 59 t/ha and average weight 21.5 g) are better than those from the plain (Marsala) (yield 41 t/ha and average weight 19.6 g) and the mid mountain area (Madonie mountains) (yield 34 t/ha and average weight 19.6 g).