Effects of some bacteria on summer planting strawberry cultivation

This study examined the effects of certain bacteria on summer-planted strawberry cultivation under the ecological conditions of Eskişehir. Frigo plants of the "Portola" strawberry variety, known for its neutral-day trait, were used as plant material. Biological fertilizer formulations were prepared and applied, including a control group, three single, two triple, and five quintuple bacterial isolates. The tray plants to be transplanted into the field were first placed in 250 ml capacity trays and received 10 ml of bacterial solution at a concentration of 10^8 cfu/ml around the root zone. The seedlings, planted in a 2:1 peat- perlite medium, were transplanted after one month into beds covered with black plastic mulch in a randomized design with three replicates, each containing 10 plants. The products of eight harvests conducted between August 15 and November 15 were used as study material. In this research, various parameters were examined: yield per plant, fruit weight, fruit dimensions, fruit firmness, soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity, malic acid, citric acid, Vitamin C, pH, and fruit color values (L, a, b, Hue, and Chroma value). Additionally, the number of runners was determined at the end of the vegetation period. The yield per plant was recorded at 161.9 g in the control group, while it ranged from 361.1 g (formulation 1) to 661.3 g (formulation 3) in the biological fertilizer treatments. The lowest average fruit weight was 5 g in the control, whereas the highest was 22 g in formulation 3. The SSC content of the juice ranged from 8.2% (formulation 4) to 13.8% (formulation 1). The highest levels of malic acid, citric acid, and ascorbic acid in the juice were found in formulation 1. When assessed holistically in terms of sensory, visual, and yield factors, formulations 3, 4, 7, and 10 generally provided the best results. In conclusion, this study suggests that the use of biological fertilizers in the summer cultivation of the Portola strawberry variety in Eskişehir conditions may offer both economic and environmental benefits. This approach would help to fully evaluate the true potential of biological fertilizers in agricultural production and support sustainable agricultural practices.