THE EFFECT OF THERMAL ENVIRONMENT, PLANTING DATE AND CROWN SIZE ON GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT AND YIELD OF FRAGARIA X ANANASSA DUCH. CV ELSANTA

The effects of environmental conditions, planting date and crown size on the timing, intensity and duration of cropping in the strawberry Fr agaria x ananassa cv. Elsanta were investigated. Temperature was posit ively correlated with the rate of progress to fruiting whereas crown s ize had no effect. The first fruit reached harvest maturity after an e stimated 891 day-degrees had elapsed above a base temperature of 2.9 d egrees C for waiting bed plants and 831 day-degrees above a base tempe rature of 2.4 degrees C for cold stored plants. Temperature was negati vely correlated with total yield, berry number and average berry weigh t for both waiting bed and cold stored plants of different crown sizes . Yield, berry number and average berry weight were positively correla ted with crown size. The effect of temperature on the yield components appeared to be due to its effect on vegetative growth of the plants: canopy development was more limited at warmer temperatures. These resu lts can be used to generate models to predict the effect of growth env ironment on cropping in strawberry.