Strawberry transplant production and performance in annual plasticulture system in the eastern United States

Tissue-cultured 'Chandler' strawberry plants were grown in a greenhouse to produce stolons. Plantlet size and position on the stolon affected rooting and quality of transplants. Cold stored plantlets developed fewer roots than plantlets plugged fresh in July or August. In the field, fewer transplants that were cold stored survived, but those that did survive developed more stolons than transplants harvested in July and August and plugged immediately. Plants that were plugged in July and grown in the greenhouse until field planting, bloomed in November. Plants that were plugged in July produced 703 g/plant, while those plants plugged in August produced 521 g/plant. Greenhouse soilless systems can be used to grow 'Chandler' mother plants for generating plantlets for annual plasticulture, but storing rooted transplants or runner tips one month or more at low temperature with lights, or at 3° C under low CO ₂ concentrations, reduced field survival and propagation efficiency.