하위 적엽처리가 딸기의 생육 및 생산성에 미치는 영향

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of defoliation treatment on the growth and yield of strawberries. There was a remarkable growth in the above-ground part and root of untreated strawberry plants possibly due to higher amount of photosynthesis, while overall plant growth was suppressed as the level of defoliation treatment increased. In both the “Seolhyang” and “Maehyang” cultivars examined, defoliation treatment resulted in small fruits and a low number of fruits per plant. Notably, 50% defoliation significantly reduced the number of fruits per plant to 8.2, compared to 13.8 in untreated plants. Defoliation treatment also negatively influenced the fruit quality including color, sugar content, and solid-acid rate. However, no significant changes in fruit firmness was observed in either cultivar. Therefore, retaining enough leaves without defoliation treatment can be important to increasing fruit yield, producing high quality fruits and saving labor required for defoliation.