Abstract:
The strawberry is a low-growing, herbaceous perennial plant, sensitive to iron deficiency.
The iron deficiency represents a nutritional disorder, leading to a decreased content of photosynthetic
pigments, which determines the yellow color characteristic of chlorotic leaves. Therefore, in
calcareous soils, the use of synthetic iron chelate is often mandatory in strawberry cultivation. The
employment of novel microorganism-based formulations as alternatives to the use of iron chelates,
was evaluated during strawberry cultivation by monitoring the morpho-biometric parameters,
chlorophylls, the iron content in leaves and roots, and the Fe chelate reductase activity involved in
absorption of iron during the chlorosis event in plants using the strategy I. The experimental design
envisaged growing strawberry seedlings on an inert substrate (pumice), irrigated with Hoagland
solution iron-free, with a 12 h photoperiod. After 42 days, at the first appearance of chlorosis symptoms,
plants were transplanted into a calcareous soil, and after seven days, they were treated, by a
single application, with a microorganism-based formulations (MBF), an inoculum (In) of Trichoderma
spp. and Streptomyces spp., or Sequestrene (Sq). Strawberry plants were sampled and analyzed
at 5, 10, 15, and 20 days from the treatments. The results showed that microorganism-based
formulations positively affected the strawberry seedlings, by reducing the chlorosis symptoms, producing
comparable effects to the Sequestrene treatment.
