Publication Date

6-2000

Series Number

Miscellaneous Publication No 9/00

Publisher

Department of Agriculture, Western Australia

City

Perth

ISSN

1326-4168

Abstract

Irrigation practices employed by five commercial strawberry growers on sandy soils of the Swan Coastal Plain near Perth Western Australia were monitored for two consecutive seasons, 1995 and 1996 during the Spring production period.

Nutritional practices for the same grower group plus one Albany grower were monitored by plant, soil and sap analysis at 14 day intervals throughout the 1996 season.

Irrigation records showed that market quality strawberries could be produced at this time of year (August to December in Perth) on soils with very poor water retention properties with an average crop factor(E Pan) for the season of 0.7 or less. This result applied equally to strawberries grown on black polythene mulch and drip irrigation as it did to overhead sprinklers and bare ground. Reducing crop factors as crops grew into early summer had no obvious harmful effect on crop growth.

Tensiometers (Irrometer ®) proved to be an effective tool for monitoring soil moisture status. They showed that crops had an effective rooting depth of 30 cm or less. Below this depth, soil moisture tension remained almost unchanged throughout the life of the crop.

Regular soil testing showed a wide range in phosphorus levels (Colwell) from 4 ppm to 280 ppm and potassium (HCO3) from 9 ppm to 140 ppm. Retention of these nutrients in the upper soil profile differed greatly with soil type.

Results of plant nutrition analysis conducted during this study generally compared favorably with standards published in the literature. Outcomes of plant nutrition testing suggests that many environmental and other factors can influence the results.

Plant sap testing with a Merck RQflex ® reflectometer showed good agreement with laboratory methods (Autoanalyser and ICP-AES) for both nitrate and potassium.

Sap analysis proved unsuitable for measurement of some minor elements due to very low levels being recorded in this medium (<1 ppm).

Number of Pages

69

Keywords

Commercial irrigation; Plant nutrition; Strawberries; Quality; Western Australia; Swan coastal plain; Albany; Soil;

Disciplines

Agribusiness | Agricultural and Resource Economics | Agricultural Science | Agronomy and Crop Sciences | Food Biotechnology | Fruit Science | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | Marketing | Operations and Supply Chain Management | Plant Biology | Plant Breeding and Genetics | Sustainability

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