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The influence of increased base saturation and the chloride ion on Fragaria ananassa, Bailey
Get PDFResearch was carried out to determine the influence of increasing
the percentage base saturation of the soil on the yield of
the commercial strawberry. It was found that the effect of increasing
the bases in the soils was directly related to the original
percentage base saturation. When this original value was below
approximately 20 percent, the yield was increased, but when it
was above this amount, yield was decreased proportionately. It
was postulated that this reduction in yield might be related to a
temporary increase in the salt concentration of the soil accompanying
the addition of the bases.
Further research was carried out to determine the influence
of the chloride ion on commercial strawberries. Three separate
experiments were conducted to determine this effect. The first
was carried out using transplants from commercial growers. It
was found that these plants would die within a two week period if
as little as 250 ppm chloride was added to the nutrient solution.
Similar plants could survive with as high as 768 ppm sulfate.
A second experiment was conducted using one year old plants
and lower concentrations of chlorides and sulfates. At the end of a
two month period, those plants grown at 125 ppm chloride differed
significantly in weight from those grown at 62.5 ppm chloride, but
did not differ in chloride content or other elements such as phosphorus,
potassium, calcium and magnesium.
The results of the first two experiments prompted a field
survey to determine whether damage was actually occurring in commercial
fields. Damage was attributed to chloride injury when the
chloride content of the leaves was in the 0.4-0.5 percent range,
and the leaves showed the characteristic marginal necrosis of
chloride toxicity. It was found that seven out of twelve of the
samples taken were in this range, indicating that chloride damage
was occurring.
This latter work showed that poor growth and survival of
transplants from different plant sources was directly correlated
with their chloride content. It is suggested that subsequent additions
of chlorides in the fertilizer applied to young transplants
can have a marked effect on plants already at or near a threshold
toxicity level
Horticultural Update
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