Although hydroponic techniques enable intensive and effective crop management, controlling the watering for each crop type and growth stage is challenging using the commonly used timed watering system. Therefore, excessive and insufficient watering occurs frequently. Hydroponic technology that considers the drainage rate can minimize the amount of drainage, thereby reducing environmental pollution and fertilizer consumption. This study compared the drainage rate and the timed watering methods in a strawberry hydroponic system and determined the optimal drainage rate. As the drainage rate increased, the amount of water supplied increased. A significantly negative correlation was found between the amount of water supplied and the total nitrogen content. Drainage electrical conductivity (EC) level was the highest in the 10% drainage rate group. In the 20% drainage rate treatment, leaf length and width increased compared to the four applications timer-supplying method. The yield of fruits weighing more than 27 g was the highest in the 20% drainage rate treatment. Therefore, the 20% drainage rate treatment was the most appropriate. We propose that it is possible to reduce unnecessary fertilizer consumption and increase productivity by controlling the water supply using the drainage rate for precise water supply management of strawberries.

Chlorophyll is an important factor facilitating plants to capture, allocate and transforms light energy and plays a major role in yield formation. Strawberry is one of the most important fruit crops worldwide. Breeding strawberry for better light utilization by improving photosynthetic efficiency can improve the yield potential. In strawberry, genetic studies have been done for several traits, but no reports on the genetic mapping of chlorophyll content in leaves. In the present study, we used two independent F₂ mapping populations (BS-F₂ and BC-F₂) and, Axiom 35 K strawberry chip and genotyping-by-sequencing derived single nucleotide polymorphisms based linkage maps to identify the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling leaf chlorophyll content. SPAD values were used to estimate the leaf chlorophyll content of parental lines and F₂ populations. A total of seven QTLs, including major and minor effects, common and specific to populations, were identified across the strawberry genome explaining phenotypic variation (R²) ranging from 1.4 to 26.4%. Candidate genes associated with the photosynthesis and chlorophyll content were inferred in commonly detected QTLs. This work thus provides not only information for novel loci controlling chlorophyll content in strawberry leaves but also forms the basis for future marker assisted breeding in strawberry to select the plants for required chlorophyll content.

The genus Fragaria encompass fruits with diverse colors influenced by the distribution and accumulation of anthocyanin. Particularly, the fruit colors of strawberries with different ploidy levels are determined by expression and natural variations in the vital structural and regulatory genes involved in the anthocyanin pathway. Among the regulatory genes, MYB10 transcription factor is crucial for the expression of structural genes in the anthocyanin pathway. In the present study, we performed a genome wide investigation of MYB10 in the diploid and octoploid Fragaria species. Further, we identified seven quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with fruit color in octoploid strawberry. In addition, we predicted 20 candidate genes primarily influencing the fruit color based on the QTL results and transcriptome analysis of fruit skin and flesh tissues of light pink, red, and dark red strawberries. Moreover, the computational and transcriptome analysis of MYB10 in octoploid strawberry suggests that the difference in fruit colors could be predominantly influenced by the expression of MYB10 from the F. iinumae subgenome. The outcomes of the present endeavor will provide a platform for the understanding and tailoring of anthocyanin pathway in strawberry for the production of fruits with aesthetic colors.

The objective of a strawberry nursery is to produce numerous runners and improve the quality of the runner plants, ensuring their uniformity and health. About 80% of the strawberry nurseries in Wanju-gun, Republic of Korea, are cultivated by the growers themselves, which results in variations in the cultivation techniques. Different methods are employed to reduce the nitrogen levels to promote floral bud initiation in the later nursery stage, and these methods vary between farms. This study was conducted on the ‘Sulhyang’ cultivar (Fragaria × ananassa Dutch. cv. Sulhyang) to measure the nutrient content in runner plants obtained from eight growers using various cultivation methods, supply EC levels, nutrient solution termination times, etc., and to correlate the nutrient levels with floral bud initiation during the nursery period. Four investigations were conducted at 15-day intervals from Julian day 214 (2 August) to Julian day 259 (16 September) in 2022, focusing on nutrient management during the nursery period, runner plant growth, petiole nitrate nitrogen content (NO₃-N), and soluble solid content (SSC). The NO₃-N content decreased, and the SSC/NO₃-N ratio increased near the transplanting period, as assessed using a rapid inorganic nutrient diagnostic device. The proportion of runner plants that had advanced to stage 3 or above in floral bud initiation was investigated using a stereomicroscope. As a result, differences in the percentage of floral bud initiation were confirmed based on the varying nutrient management among the farms. In this study, on Julian day 243 (31 August 2022), there was a strong negative correlation (r = −0.86, r² = 0.73) between the NO₃-N content in the runner plants and the percentage of floral bud initiation. These results emphasize the importance of nutrient management during the nursery period, especially for strawberry self-propagating growers, and demonstrate a strong correlation between nutrient content and floral bud initiation in strawberries.

Strawberry aroma, crucial for determining quality, involves complex volatile compounds which are challenging to identify. This study explores strawberry aroma analysis using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and the Automated Mass Spectral Deconvolution and Identification System (AMDIS). Central to our research is the creation of a bespoke strawberry Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) user library using AMDIS, specifically for analyzing strawberry aromas. The library contains VOCs from 61 strawberry cultivars, integrating information on 104 VOCs, including mass spectra, retention index, chemical class, CAS number, formula, odor threshold, and odor description. This custom library significantly outperformed a commercial library by reducing potential false hits by 200, decreasing the size of report files by over 96%, and, most importantly, shortening AMDIS analysis processing time from 31 s to 9 s, representing an approximate 71% reduction. Further, the study demonstrates the library’s practical application by contrasting the aroma profiles of strawberries harvested in winter and spring. This comparison revealed significant VOC variations depending on seasonal temperature changes, offering insights into environmental influences on strawberry aroma. In conclusion, this research marks a significant advance in strawberry aroma quality analysis. The strawberry VOC library developed in this study is expected to greatly aid targeted metabolomics and flavor research in strawberry breeding.