Abstract
Day-neutral strawberry ( Fragaria ×ananassa ) is typically grown in plasticulture production systems that use black polyethylene (PE) mulch for weed management and promotion of crop growth and yield. The objectives of this research were to evaluate several commercial plastic and paper biodegradable mulch (BDM) products [Bio360, Experimental Prototype (Exp. Prototype), and WeedGuardPlus] in comparison with standard black PE mulch and bare ground cultivation in day-neutral strawberry grown in an annual system in northwestern Washington. Mulch performance [as percent visual cover (PVC)], weed suppression, marketable yield, plant biomass, and fruit quality were evaluated in ‘Albion’ and ‘Seascape’ strawberry grown in 2014 and 2015. PVC measured at the end of the production season was lowest for the Exp. Prototype (8%) in 2014 and was greatest for Bio360 (90%), WeedGuardPlus (90%), and PE (98%). In 2015, PVC at the end of the production season was again lowest for Exp. Prototype (62%), followed by WeedGuardPlus (64%), Bio360 (93%), and PE mulch (97%). Overall, weed pressure was higher in 2015 relative to 2014 and was greatest in the bare ground treatment in both years of the study. By the end of the 2015 season, weed cover in the bare ground treatment was 95%, followed by WeedGuardPlus (50%), Exp. Prototype (34%), PE (25%), and Bio360 (15%). Yield showed year and cultivar effects and was higher in mulched treatments. Plant biomass showed varying effects; root biomass was lowest in ‘Seascape’ in 2015 under the bare ground treatment and greatest under Bio360, which was similar to PE mulch and WeedGuardPlus. Leaf biomass was lowest in the bare ground treatment and highest in mulched treatments (except in 2015, when leaf biomass was intermediate for plants grown with WeedGuardPlus). Crown biomass showed a similar trend and was overall greater for plants grown in mulched treatments except for Bio360 in 2014, which was the same as the bare ground treatment. Overall, fruit quality was maintained among strawberry grown with BDMs, with soluble solids concentration (SSC, %) and titratable acidity (TA) being the only variables to show treatment effects. SCC tended to be lower in fruit from bare ground plots. TA was different for ‘Seascape’ in 2015 with fruit from bare ground and Exp. Prototype treatments having higher TA than the PE treatment. This study demonstrates that BDMs can be comparable to PE mulch in terms of performance and impacts on crop productivity in day-neutral strawberry, suggesting that BDMs could be a viable alternative to PE mulch for strawberry growers in the Pacific Northwest.
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Claims 20
Claim · model-written summary
Exp. Prototype had the lowest end-season mulch cover in 2014 at 8%.
- Taxon
- Strawberry
_single2.jpg?width=60)
Fragaria ×ananassat0 - Treatment
- Exp. Prototypee0
- Outcome
- PVCe0
- Direction
- loweste0
- Value
- 8%e0
- Qualifier
- 2014e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
_single2.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“PVC measured at the end of the production season was lowest for the Exp. Prototype (8%) in 2014”
t0“Plastic Biodegradable Mulches Reduce Weeds and Promote Crop Growth in Day-neutral Strawberry in Western Washington”
Claim · model-written summary
Bio360 end-season mulch cover in 2014 was among the greatest at 90%.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“was greatest for Bio360 (90%), WeedGuardPlus (90%), and PE (98%)”
t0“Plastic Biodegradable Mulches Reduce Weeds and Promote Crop Growth in Day-neutral Strawberry in Western Washington”
Claim · model-written summary
WeedGuardPlus end-season mulch cover in 2014 was among the greatest at 90%.
- Taxon
- StrawberryFragaria ×ananassat0
- Treatment
- WeedGuardPluse0
- Outcome
- Mulchest0
- Direction
- greateste0
- Value
- 90%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“was greatest for Bio360 (90%), WeedGuardPlus (90%), and PE (98%)”
t0“Plastic Biodegradable Mulches Reduce Weeds and Promote Crop Growth in Day-neutral Strawberry in Western Washington”
Claim · model-written summary
PE end-season mulch cover in 2014 was among the greatest at 98%.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“was greatest for Bio360 (90%), WeedGuardPlus (90%), and PE (98%)”
t0“Plastic Biodegradable Mulches Reduce Weeds and Promote Crop Growth in Day-neutral Strawberry in Western Washington”
Claim · model-written summary
End-season Exp. Prototype mulch cover was lowest at 62% in 2015.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In 2015, PVC at the end of the production season was again lowest for Exp. Prototype (62%)”
t0“Plastic Biodegradable Mulches Reduce Weeds and Promote Crop Growth in Day-neutral Strawberry in Western Washington”
Claim · model-written summary
End-season mulch cover in 2015 was 64% for WeedGuardPlus.
- Taxon
- StrawberryFragaria ×ananassat0
- Treatment
- WeedGuardPluse0
- Outcome
- Mulchest0
- Value
- 64%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“followed by WeedGuardPlus (64%), Bio360 (93%), and PE mulch (97%)”
t0“Plastic Biodegradable Mulches Reduce Weeds and Promote Crop Growth in Day-neutral Strawberry in Western Washington”
Claim · model-written summary
End-season mulch cover in 2015 was 93% for Bio360.
- Taxon
- StrawberryFragaria ×ananassat0
- Treatment
- Bio360e0
- Outcome
- Mulchest0
- Value
- 93%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“followed by WeedGuardPlus (64%), Bio360 (93%), and PE mulch (97%)”
t0“Plastic Biodegradable Mulches Reduce Weeds and Promote Crop Growth in Day-neutral Strawberry in Western Washington”
Claim · model-written summary
End-season mulch cover in 2015 was 97% for PE mulch.
- Taxon
- StrawberryFragaria ×ananassat0
- Treatment
- PE mulche0
- Outcome
- Mulchest0
- Value
- 97%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“followed by WeedGuardPlus (64%), Bio360 (93%), and PE mulch (97%)”
t0“Plastic Biodegradable Mulches Reduce Weeds and Promote Crop Growth in Day-neutral Strawberry in Western Washington”
Claim · model-written summary
Weed pressure was higher in 2015 than 2014 and greatest on bare ground both years.
- Taxon
- StrawberryFragaria ×ananassat0
- Treatment
- bare ground treatmente0
- Interactor
- weede0weed
- Outcome
- weed pressuree0
- Direction
- greateste0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“weed pressure was higher in 2015 relative to 2014 and was greatest in the bare ground treatment in both years of the study”
t0“Plastic Biodegradable Mulches Reduce Weeds and Promote Crop Growth in Day-neutral Strawberry in Western Washington”
Claim · model-written summary
Bare ground had 95% weed cover by the end of 2015.
- Taxon
- StrawberryFragaria ×ananassat0
- Treatment
- bare ground treatmente0
- Interactor
- weede0weed
- Outcome
- weed covere0
- Value
- 95%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“weed cover in the bare ground treatment was 95%”
t0“Plastic Biodegradable Mulches Reduce Weeds and Promote Crop Growth in Day-neutral Strawberry in Western Washington”
Claim · model-written summary
Weed cover under WeedGuardPlus was 50% by the end of 2015.
- Taxon
- StrawberryFragaria ×ananassat0
- Treatment
- WeedGuardPluse0
- Interactor
- Weedst0weed
- Outcome
- weed covere1
- Value
- 50%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“followed by WeedGuardPlus (50%), Exp. Prototype (34%), PE (25%), and Bio360 (15%)”
e1“weed cover in the bare ground treatment was 95%”
t0“Plastic Biodegradable Mulches Reduce Weeds and Promote Crop Growth in Day-neutral Strawberry in Western Washington”
Claim · model-written summary
Weed cover under Exp. Prototype was 34% by the end of 2015.
- Taxon
- StrawberryFragaria ×ananassat0
- Treatment
- Exp. Prototypee0
- Interactor
- Weedst0weed
- Outcome
- weed covere1
- Value
- 34%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“followed by WeedGuardPlus (50%), Exp. Prototype (34%), PE (25%), and Bio360 (15%)”
e1“weed cover in the bare ground treatment was 95%”
t0“Plastic Biodegradable Mulches Reduce Weeds and Promote Crop Growth in Day-neutral Strawberry in Western Washington”
Claim · model-written summary
Weed cover under PE was 25% by the end of 2015.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“followed by WeedGuardPlus (50%), Exp. Prototype (34%), PE (25%), and Bio360 (15%)”
e1“weed cover in the bare ground treatment was 95%”
t0“Plastic Biodegradable Mulches Reduce Weeds and Promote Crop Growth in Day-neutral Strawberry in Western Washington”
Claim · model-written summary
Weed cover under Bio360 was 15% by the end of 2015.
- Taxon
- StrawberryFragaria ×ananassat0
- Treatment
- Bio360e0
- Interactor
- Weedst0weed
- Outcome
- weed covere1
- Value
- 15%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“followed by WeedGuardPlus (50%), Exp. Prototype (34%), PE (25%), and Bio360 (15%)”
e1“weed cover in the bare ground treatment was 95%”
t0“Plastic Biodegradable Mulches Reduce Weeds and Promote Crop Growth in Day-neutral Strawberry in Western Washington”
Claim · model-written summary
Strawberry yield varied by year and cultivar and was higher with mulch.
- Taxon
- StrawberryFragaria ×ananassat0
- Treatment
- mulched treatmentse0
- Outcome
- Yielde0
- Direction
- highere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Yield showed year and cultivar effects and was higher in mulched treatments”
t0“Plastic Biodegradable Mulches Reduce Weeds and Promote Crop Growth in Day-neutral Strawberry in Western Washington”
Claim · model-written summary
Seascape root biomass in 2015 was lowest on bare ground and greatest under Bio360, similar to PE and WeedGuardPlus.
- Taxon
- StrawberryFragaria ×ananassat0
- Material
- Seascapee0
- Treatment
- Bio360e0
- Outcome
- root biomasse0
- Direction
- greateste0
- Qualifier
- similar to PE mulch and WeedGuardPluse0
- Comparator
- bare ground treatmente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“root biomass was lowest in ‘Seascape’ in 2015 under the bare ground treatment and greatest under Bio360, which was similar to PE mulch and WeedGuardPlus”
t0“Plastic Biodegradable Mulches Reduce Weeds and Promote Crop Growth in Day-neutral Strawberry in Western Washington”
Claim · model-written summary
Leaf biomass was lowest on bare ground and highest with mulch, except WeedGuardPlus was intermediate in 2015.
- Taxon
- StrawberryFragaria ×ananassat0
- Treatment
- mulched treatmentse0
- Outcome
- Leaf biomasse0
- Direction
- higheste0
- Qualifier
- except in 2015, when leaf biomass was intermediate for plants grown with WeedGuardPluse0
- Comparator
- bare ground treatmente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Leaf biomass was lowest in the bare ground treatment and highest in mulched treatments (except in 2015, when leaf biomass was intermediate for plants grown with WeedGuardPlus)”
t0“Plastic Biodegradable Mulches Reduce Weeds and Promote Crop Growth in Day-neutral Strawberry in Western Washington”
Claim · model-written summary
Crown biomass was generally greater with mulch, except Bio360 in 2014 equaled bare ground.
- Taxon
- StrawberryFragaria ×ananassat0
- Treatment
- mulched treatmentse0
- Outcome
- Crown biomasse0
- Direction
- greatere0
- Qualifier
- except for Bio360 in 2014e0
- Comparator
- bare ground treatmente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Crown biomass showed a similar trend and was overall greater for plants grown in mulched treatments except for Bio360 in 2014, which was the same as the bare ground treatment”
t0“Plastic Biodegradable Mulches Reduce Weeds and Promote Crop Growth in Day-neutral Strawberry in Western Washington”
Claim · model-written summary
Fruit quality was maintained under biodegradable mulches, with soluble solids and titratable acidity showing treatment effects.
- Taxon
- strawberryFragaria ×ananassae0
- Treatment
- BDMse0
- Outcome
- fruit qualitye0
- Direction
- maintainede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“fruit quality was maintained among strawberry grown with BDMs, with soluble solids concentration (SSC, %) and titratable acidity (TA) being the only variables to show treatment effects”
Claim · model-written summary
Seascape titratable acidity in 2015 was higher under bare ground and Exp. Prototype than PE.
- Taxon
- StrawberryFragaria ×ananassat0
- Material
- Seascapee0
- Treatment
- bare ground and Exp. Prototype treatmentse0
- Outcome
- TAe0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- PE treatmente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“TA was different for ‘Seascape’ in 2015 with fruit from bare ground and Exp. Prototype treatments having higher TA than the PE treatment”
t0“Plastic Biodegradable Mulches Reduce Weeds and Promote Crop Growth in Day-neutral Strawberry in Western Washington”
The same questions in other papers
mulching · yield · Fragaria x ananassa (strawberry)Results differ
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- negative
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See all 97 papers →mulching · growth · Fragaria x ananassa (strawberry)Positive and negative results
38 papers in the same direction as this paper · 4 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- positive
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See all 43 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.