Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) is widely grown and highly appreciated by consumers around the world for its delicious, soft, and highly nutritious fruits. Turkey is one of the most important strawberry producers in the world. Strawberry cultivation in Turkey typically involves the use of chemical fertilizers and more recently organic and organic + chemical fertilizers have been started to use in commercial production to produce healthier fruits. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effect of organic, chemical, and organic + chemical fertilizer treatments in strawberry (cvs. ‘Albion’, ‘San Andreas’ and ‘Monterey’) fruit quality parameters including fruit color (L*, a*, b*, C and h°) parameters, soluble solids content, total acidity, fruit firmness, vitamin C, specific sugars and organic acids. Results showed that in particular fruit color parameters, soluble solid content (SSC), total acidity, fruit firmness, and vitamin C (L-Ascorbic acid) in fruits of three strawberry cultivars were significantly affected by different fertilizer applications (p < 0.05). Compared with conventional chemical fertilizer treatment, the organic fertilizer treatment produced fruit with significantly higher contents of SSC and glucose but decreased fruit firmness and vitamin C. Organic fertilizer also gave more intense colored strawberry fruits with high Chroma values (47,948 in organic fertilizer application and 39,644 and 39,931 in organic + chemical fertilizer and chemical fertilizer, respectively). Citric acid was identified to be the predominant organic acid in strawberry fruits but treatments were found insignificant on citric acid content.

This study investigated the effects of vermicompost fertilization with complementary microbial nutrition on the plant growth, yield, and fruit quality of the organically grown strawberry “Monterey” cultivar. Along with vermicompost, five different microbial fertilizers containing plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) were used as complementary nutrition. Here, we examined plant growth parameters, strawberry yield, fruit weight, pH, total soluble solids, and acidity in fruit and leaf mineral nutrient concentrations. Vermicompost-based fertilization with PGPR and AMF improved plant growth, yield, and fruit quality. The highest total yield (216.75 g per plant⁻¹) and heaviest fruits with an average of 18.11 g were obtained from the vermicompost-based fertilization with PGPR containing complementary fertilization. This included Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus pumilus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus megaterium, Trichoderma harzianum, and Trichoderma konigii. This treatment also resulted in the best ratio of total soluble solids to acidity (18.74), pH (3.95), and mineral nutrient concentrations in leaves. The novel approach with vermicompost-based fertilization and complementary microbial nutrition improves organic strawberries’ growth, yield, and fruit quality. These results are promising for enhancing organic strawberry production.

In the contemporary era, the excessive use of chemical fertilizers in areas where strawberries are intensively cultivated disrupts the balance of nature and reduces economic efficiency. Therefore, using organic and biofertilizers in sustainable agriculture can solve these problems. The effect of organic fertilizer and other treatments on the yield, quality, and plant growth of the Monterey strawberry variety was investigated. Solid farm manure and a liquid organic fertilizer of vegetable origin were used as basic fertilizers, while five different commercial fertilizers containing bacteria and mycorrhiza were used as complementary fertilizers. In addition, this study examined plant growth parameters, including root length, stem diameter, leaf area, yield per plant, fruit weight, pH in the fruit, SSC, acid, SSC-to-acid ratio, and plant nutrient content. The Biofarm+Botanica+Fontera microzone bacterial fertilizer (Azosprillium brasilense, Azotobacter vinelandii, Rhizobium trifollii, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis, Azotobacter chroococcum, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, and Bacillus mucilaginosus) treatment provided the best results; namely, it produced the highest total yield (250.17 g plant⁻¹), largest fruits (18.13 g), highest SSC-to-acid ratio (18.05), and best nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium contents in the leaves. Similarly, the same treatment produced the longest root, thickest stem, and maximum leaf area. As a result of this study, it is recommended to use biofertilizers together with organic fertilizers to ensure high-quality fruit production.

The excessive use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture not only causes a decrease in soil fertility but also has negative effects on the environment, natural resources, and human health. Therefore, environmentally friendly practices, such as the use of organic fertilizers (OFs) and plant biostimulants that increase yield and fruit quality can be effective in solving these problems. In the present research study, we investigated the impact of using an OF alone and in combination with as a biostimulant different doses of humic acid (HA) on plant growth parameters, yield, fruit characteristics, and leaf mineral nutrient concentrations in plants of the Monterey and Albion strawberry varieties. As a result of this study, we determined that the combined application of the OF and HA increased the yield, fruit quality, plant growth, and nutritional elements in the crop compared with using the OF alone. In addition, the Monterey variety plants treated with OF and HA (5.0 L·ha ⁻¹ ) in T ₃ offered the best results among the different treatment groups and varieties. With this treatment, we obtained the highest total yield (262.42 g/plant), fruit weight, total soluble solids (TSS), and TSS/acid ratio, as well as increased growth parameters, and mineral nutrient concentrations in leaves. These results are hopeful for enhancing organic strawberry production.

During the winter growing season of 2016, bacterial leaf spot disease, characterized as water-soaked,dark-brown and irregular spots 2-8 mm in diameter, was observed on curly type lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. crispa) in greenhouses of Samsun province (Carsamba town) in the Black Sea Region of Turkey. Fluorescent colonies were further purified on KB to perform further tests with the reference isolate. Pathogenicity of isolates was confirmed on 30-day-old curly type lettuce plants, and they were identified as Pseudomonas viridiflava based on biochemical test results confirmed using PCR-amplification of the 16S rDNA gene and sequencing. This is the first report of P. viridiflava, the causal agent of curly type lettuce in Turkey.