The present experiment was carried out in greenhouse during 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 seasons to determine the effects of substrates media / combination and macro and micro nutrients within irrigation water. Uniform runners of strawberry cv. chandler were selected and planted in 12 and 13th October 2018 and 2019 seasons, respectively, at a distance of 20 cm x 20 cm in 1m x 1m beds filled with eight different growing media combinations viz, sand (100%), peat moss (100%), vermiculite (100%), perlite (100%), peat moss: vermiculite (50% :50%), peat moss : perlite (50% :50%), vermiculite : perlite (50% :50%), and peat moss: vermiculite: perlite (33.3%: 33.3% : 33.3%) with three replications.The plants were irrigated at 1-2 days interval through micro drip irrigation during the initial stages and through drip irrigation during fruiting stages, while the treatments of macro and micro-nutrients dose of fertilizers were applied through fertigation using soluble fertilizers. The irrigation water was included two treatments, i.e. top water used as control, and fertilizer water which included macro and micro – nutrients, (%) i.e. N- P - K - Ca – Fe – Zn – B – Cu and Mn (1 – 2 – 2- 0.3 – 0.1 – 0.2 – 0.1- 0.2 and 0.1), respectively. The experiment was performed in the layout of split plot design, where, the substrate media was distributed at the main plot, while the irrigation water without or with fertilizers was distributed at the sub plot in three replications.
The obtained results are summarized as follows:
The treatment of the triple media of peat moss, vermiculite and perlite, being the most effectives on plant growth parameters, i.e. plant height , number of leaves, crown diameter, canopy spread, fresh weight and dry weight of plant, flowering parameters, i.e. number of days to open 1 st flower, number of flowers/plant, number of fruits/plant and fruit set (%),yield and its components of strawberry, i.e. fruit length fruit diameter, total number of fruits/plant, fruit weight early yield and total yield , and fruit quality of strawberry, i.e. N, P, K, Ca, TSS, acidity, vitamin C, total sugars and anthocyanin.This treatment followed by the treatment which contained of two substrates, i.e. vermiculite: perlite, peat moss: perlite, and peat moss: vermiculite, respectively. While, the single treatment of perlite, vermiculite and peat moss caused a lowest value with any significant between them.
The macro and micro elements within irrigation water by drip irrigation system significantly increased vegetative growth parameters of strawberry plants, i.e. plant height, number of leaves crown diameter canopy spread, fresh weight and dry weight of plants, flowering parameters, yield and it components , and fruit quality compared to the untreated plants with elements (control treatment). The combined effect of substrate media and fertilizer with macro and micro-nutrients had a significant influence on all the vegetative growth of strawberry i.e. plant height, number of leaves/plant, crown diameter, canopy spread, fresh and dry weight of plant , flowering parameters, yield and it components , and fruit quality, the treatment of interaction between the triple treatment of interaction between the triple treatment (peat moss: vermiculite and perlite) and fertilizer with macro and micro-nutrients being the most effective on vegetative growth strawberry.
Conclusively, it can be concluded that for getting to good strawberry characters using the triple substrate media together and applied different nutrients within drip irrigation .