Abstract
Strawberry production has expanded significantly in the UK, especially under protection where irrigation and fertiliser input are better managed than in open field production. Powdery mildew increases in importance on strawberry grown under protection. Experiments were conducted to investigate whether manipulation of irrigation and nitrogen via fertigation within commercially acceptable ranges would significantly affect powdery mildew development on strawberry (cv. Elsanta). The results showed that increasing nitrogen input via fertigation led to increased mildew development and that increasing water stress via regulated deficit irrigation led to decreased mildew development. However, the reduction in mildew development under low nitrogen input or deficit irrigation was rather limited. Therefore, the treatments investigated in this study could be considered for practical purposes to have little effect on powdery mildew development on strawberry under protection.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Clare Hopson and Abi Dalton for excellent technical assistance and Horticulture LINK partners for funding this research as part of project HL01107.
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Xu, X., Robinson, J. & Else, M.A. Effects of nitrogen input and deficit irrigation within the commercial acceptable range on susceptibility of strawberry leaves to powdery mildew. Eur J Plant Pathol 135, 695–701 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-012-0106-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-012-0106-2