Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

The demand for strawberries is affected by climate change and environmental impacts. Farmers are resulting to
unsustainable methods to keep up with the demands regarding high yield and good product quality. Synthetic
fertilizers is one of the main culprits intensively used in strawberry cultivation and with high environmental impacts.
Synthetic fertilizers release N2O, a long-lasting, harmful greenhouse gas and contribute to eutrophication of ground
water. To mitigate this, it is encouraged to switch over to organic fertilizers, which has limited availability at
commercial level. The reuse of side streams could be an alternative to reuse organic nutrients and apply them in food
production system. Different streams are of interest including food waste, aquaculture and wastewater, However,
the impact of such streams on plant growth and quality I still with unknown effect. In this experiment, three
different types of organic fertilizers: water fraction from food compost, fish water, and wastewater, are tested in
comparison to the commercial synthetic fertilizers to see their effects on two strawberry cultivars (Honeoye and
Sonsation). We measured a series of vegetative and reproductive traits throughout a period of eight weeks and
used R-studio to see if different organic fertilizers affected the vegetative growth, chlorophyll content, and
reproduction aspects of the strawberry cultivars. The two cultivars responded differently to the treatments likely due
to the different nitrogen content. Honeoye is better for vegetative reproduction with organic fertilizers that have
higher nitrogen content while Sonsation is better for fruit yield with fertilizers that have specifically, higher nitrate
content. The differences in nitrate and ammonium content within the fertilizers also played a role on nitrogen uptake
between the two different cultivars. Significant differences on pollen viability and chlorophyll content could be
indicated due to the cultivars but not to the treatments. Overall, this data could be used to explore more possibilities
in adjusting organic fertilizers for strawberry farmers.