Strawberry is one of the three economically important model crops we analyze in EXCALIBUR. Our partners Ri.Nova and the University of Copenhagen concluded the field trials for strawberries last July and have provided us with the following materials.
Strawberry field at UCPH
UCPH has already entered the final year of strawberry field trials. Fungal bioinoculants were re-applied as root drenches in mid-April in both organic and integrated field trials.
The process was completed on July 7th. There were many strawberries to sort and weigh!
Strawberry field at Ri.Nova
Strawberry harvest
May was “strawberry picking month” in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Our Excalibur team of Ri.Nova was involved in fruit harvesting in the two field trials with the aim of evaluating the effect of biostimulants’ application on strawberry yield.
Strawberry fruit quality analysis
After harvest, strawberries were analyzed at Ri.Nova laboratory to assess whether the applied biostimulants affected fruit quality parameters such as average weight, color, firmness and sugar content (°Brix).
Final assessments on strawberry biomass
After the last harvest period, the two Excalibur strawberry field trials in Emilia-Romagna (Italy) ended in June 2023 and the last evaluations were carried out by Ri.Nova. Plants were harvested with roots, washed to remove soil residues, and weighed to evaluate the effect of biostimulants on plant and root biomass. For the biopesticide trial, a final assessment of root health status was also carried out.
