What to Do About Herbicide Damage in Strawberries? A Detailed Guide to Remedial Methods
Strawberry is a relatively common fruit. During the growing process, improper use of chemicals may cause various kinds of herbicide damage. So what should be done about herbicide damage in strawberries?
1. What to do about herbicide damage in strawberries?
1. Supplement fertilizer to promote seedling growth: For herbicide damage causing symptoms such as chemical spots on the leaf surface, scorched leaf margins or yellowing, apply an appropriate amount of quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer or quick-acting compound fertilizer as a top dressing, or spray a foliar fertilizer all over, to promote seedling recovery and vigor.
2. Irrigation remediation: For herbicide damage caused by drenching the roots with certain chemicals or applying herbicides under plastic mulch, watering or irrigating appropriately can wash away the chemicals and reduce toxicity, decreasing the harmful substances accumulated in the roots.
3. Spraying mitigating agents: If herbicide damage occurs from alachlor, gibberellin can be sprayed; a 0.2% soap solution can alleviate herbicide damage caused by organophosphorus pesticides.
4. Spraying water to wash off chemicals: If the wrong pesticide is sprayed or herbicide damage occurs, and it is discovered early, clean water can be sprayed quickly to wash off the chemical solution on the surface. If the herbicide damage is caused by an acidic chemical, an appropriate amount of plant ash or 0.1% quicklime solution can be added to the water when spraying; if the herbicide damage is caused by an alkaline chemical, an appropriate amount of rice vinegar can be added to the water when spraying. At the same time, pay attention to ventilation in the greenhouse, lowering temperature and humidity, to help harmful gases escape.
5. Remove damaged leaves: After leaf herbicide damage, leaves that have lost their green color and changed color should be removed promptly, to curb the penetration and translocation of the chemical within the plant.
2. Strawberry Growth Habits
Strawberries prefer a warm and cool climate. The root growth temperature for strawberries is 5-30°C, with an optimum temperature of 15-22°C; the optimum temperature for stem and leaf growth is 20-30°C; buds suffer freeze damage at -15-10°C; during the flower bud differentiation stage the temperature must be kept at 5-15°C; and during the flowering and fruiting stage it is 4-40°C. When strawberries are overwintering through summer, if the temperature is above 30°C and sunlight is intense, shading measures need to be taken.
Strawberry is a light-loving plant, but it also has relatively strong shade tolerance. Under strong light, the plants are short and sturdy, the fruits are small, deep in color and good in quality. Under moderate light, the fruits are large, light in color, low in sugar, and the harvest period is longer; too weak light is unfavorable for strawberry growth.
The strawberry root system is shallowly distributed and has a large transpiration rate, so it has strict water requirements, but these differ somewhat among growth stages. Strawberries have slightly different water requirements at different growth stages. In early spring and during the flowering stage, strawberries need the soil moisture to be no lower than 70% of the maximum soil water-holding capacity. During the fruit growth and ripening stage, the demand is greatest, reaching more than 80%. After harvest, when runners are produced and new adventitious roots form, the soil moisture content also needs to be no lower than 70%. In autumn, which is the period when the plant accumulates nutrients and forms flower buds, the soil moisture must also not be lower than 60%. Strawberries are not tolerant of waterlogging and require good soil permeability, so pay attention to field drainage during the rainy season.
Strawberries are best grown in fertile, loose neutral or slightly acidic loam soil. Overly heavy clay soil is not suitable for cultivation. In sandy soil, applying more manure and watering frequently can also allow strawberries to be grown.