Sustainable Soil Management Practices Interactions with Fumigation Strategy in Southeast Strawberry Production

Soil health and the management practices associated with its promotion is an area of growing interest for growers of horticultural crops nationwide as a means to sustain the long-term productivity of the soil. However, little understanding exists for the incorporation of soil health promoting practices into non-organic production systems, and more specifically for their incorporation into fumigated plasticulture strawberry production in the Southeast (SE). Our two-year field study evaluated the incorporation of a summer cover crop mix [Cowpea var. Iron Clay (Vigna unguiculata) and Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucumgenus)], compost applied in the early summer, beneficial soil inoculants [arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and vermicompost] added to the strawberry plug and multiple combinations of these practices as applied to both fumigated and non-fumigated plasticulture strawberry production. The study began in June of 2013 with the establishment of plots in Goldsboro, NC, arranged in a split-plot randomized complete-block design with fumigation as the split. Treatments were assessed for their impacts on strawberry growth, yield, and berry quality as well as changes to chemical, physical, and biological indicators of soil health. Results from the 2014 and 2015 harvest seasons indicated significant interactions between soil management practice and fumigation strategy on per plant strawberry yields and fruit quality measures. Explanations for these significant interactions on yields will be discussed as they relate to corresponding changes in soil health parameters. Results indicate that sustainable soil management practices have a place in SE strawberry production, but that recommendations for their use should likely be fumigation strategy dependent.