EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT GROWING CONDITIONS AND VARIETIES ON THE QUALITY INDICATORS OF STRAWBERRY BERRIES

Abstract

The experiment on garden strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa L.) varieties and their different growing conditions was carried out in 2023–2025 on the farm of farmer Gediminas Jankus, located in the village of Skerdupis, Prienai district. The soil of the experimental field is a sandy, dusty clay subsoil (Planosols). The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of different growing conditions and strawberry varieties on the quality indicators of strawberry fruits. To achieve this objective, the following tasks were formulated to determine the impact of different growing conditions and varieties on: 1) dry matter content; 2) crude fiber content; 3) crude ash content; 4) vitamin C content. The research was conducted according to established methodologies in both an outdoor and greenhouse experiments. Factor A: different growing conditions: 1) Field; 2) Greenhouse; Factor B: strawberry varieties: 1) 'Tresca'; 2) 'Temptation'. The results showed that the highest soluble dry matter content (12.97%) was observed in 'Tresca' strawberries grown under greenhouse conditions, while the lowest (6.18%) was found under field conditions. In terms of absolute dry matter content, the highest value (90.52%) was observed in 'Temptation' strawberries grown in field conditions, whereas the lowest (88.15%) was recorded under greenhouse conditions. Strawberries of the 'Temptation' variety grown in field conditions had lower crude fiber and green ash content compared to other variants. When analyzing the effect of different growing conditions and varieties on the vitamin C content in strawberries, it was found that the significantly highest amount (40.03 mg 100 g⁻¹) was detected in the 'Temptation' variety.