Use of sawdust, coco soil and pumice in hydroponically grown strawberry

Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) plants were grown hydroponically in different ratio of sawdust (Saw-100), coco soil (Coc-100) and/or pumice (Pum-100) mixtures. Leaf number doubled in plants grown in Saw-100 while runners (stolons) number increased up to 70% in plants grown in Coc-100 compared with the control treatment (Pum-100). Fruit number increased (up to 50%) in plants grown in Pum-100. Leaf stomatal conductance, photosynthetic rate and internal concentration of CO2 differentiated according to the plant vegetative or reproductive stage and/or substrate medium. Leaf and stem fresh weight as well as leaf area was increased (up to 32, 24 and 44%, respectively) in case of Coc-100 compared with the Saw-100 or Pum-100. Plant yield was doubled when Pum-Saw (50-50) was used compared with the Saw-100, which is due to the reduced fruit number produced rather than the difference in fruit fresh weight. Substrate affected fruit quality parameters. The present findings highlight the putative use of organic medium i.e. Sawdust on top of the widely used coco soil as substrate medium in strawberry culture.