The Latest Technical Methods and Tutorial for Preserving Flowers and Fruits in Strawberries

After strawberries finish flowering, the amount of fruit set decreases, but sometimes natural physiological fruit drop also occurs, which greatly reduces yield and causes serious losses. Therefore, preventive work must be done well before flowering, during flowering, and throughout the fruiting period, grasping the causes behind flower and fruit drop, then addressing the causes to improve prevention, rather than handling things randomly.

I. Causes of Flower and Fruit Drop

1. Poor Pollination

The first and foremost cause is poor pollination and fertilization. After rain, the field is humid; pollen absorbs water and ruptures or clumps together, losing its ability to pollinate, and the pollen dies, or the pollen is washed away and lost. In addition, extreme weather, such as high temperature and strong light, causes flowers to develop incompletely and grow poorly, making them unable to receive pollen.

2. Diseases

Viral disease is the main trigger of flower drop caused by disease. Others include gray mold and powdery mildew, several diseases that damage the flower organs or inflorescences, flower axes and the like, directly causing massive flower drop. Gray mold and black pox also cause fruits to rot and drop. In addition, damage from the green plant bug causes massive flower and fruit drop.

II. Measures to Preserve Flowers and Fruits

1. Growth Regulation

During the flowering period, use pollination booster to improve the success rate of pollination and fertilization, so that more fruits can set and more flowers can develop into fruits. After fruit set, use Liangguoan to preserve fruits, which can prevent physiological fruit drop. Or use 24D and gibberellin at a concentration suitable for flower preservation to preserve flowers. All of these prevent flower and fruit drop by regulating hormone secretion within the plant.

2. For planting, use new virus-free seedlings cultivated through virus-free technology, then disinfect, sterilize, and insecticide the planting site. During planting, any disease found must be promptly treated in the early stage by spraying chlorothalonil, carbendazim, and other corresponding agents to control the condition. Do not let fruits and flowers suffer from disease and pest damage during flowering.

3. Flower and Fruit Thinning

Only select and keep high-quality flowers on suitable nodes of suitable canes. After fruit set, remove small fruits, completely undeveloped malformed fruits, defective fruits, and fruits damaged by pests and diseases. Remove excess rain-soaked canes and old leaves in the field. Supply all nutrients to flowering and fruiting, reduce field humidity, and reduce disease.

There are two main causes of flower and fruit drop in strawberries, and there are also many solutions, but you must find the most suitable method to solve the problem, so that flowering and fruit set can be well ensured and there will not be too much flower and fruit drop. This improves strawberry yield and ensures the harvest.