2019 ASHS Annual Conference

High volumes of sprinkler irrigation are used in Florida for bare-root strawberry transplant establishment. Microsprinklers and living mulches in the row middles were proposed to conserve water and to limit runoff and erosion. The effects of conventional impact sprinklers and microsprinklers in the main plots of a split-plot experiment and of living mulch treatments in the subplots were compared on runoff, erosion, and soil pore water as well as on strawberry (Sweet Sensation® ‘Florida 127’) yield. Hairy indigo (Indigofera hirsuta L.; 20 lb/acre in 2017 and 30 lb/acre in 2018), sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L. cv AU Golden; 40 lb/acre in 2017 and 60 lb/acre in 2018), and slenderleaf rattlebox (Crotalaria ochroleuca G. Don; 40 lb/acre both years) were planted on Sep. 28, 2017 and Aug. 29, 2018 and compared to a weedy control. Runoff and erosion were assessed using runoff/erosion capturing devices at the end of one row middle per subplot. Soil pore water was measured in the same row middle using a suction lysimeter. Microsprinklers resulted in 33% (2017) and 28% (2018) the water use of impact sprinklers. Compared to impact sprinklers (1828 L/ha runoff in 2017, and 122 and 27 kg/ha erosion in 2017 and 2018, respectively), microsprinklers had a 77% decrease in runoff in 2017 with no significant difference in 2018, and 79% and 49% reductions in erosion in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Hairy indigo, sunn hemp, and slenderleaf rattlebox resulted in 22.1, 13.9, and 28.0 mL soil pore water, respectively, compared to 57.2 mL in the weedy control. However, living mulches had no significant effect on runoff and erosion. Neither early nor total strawberry yield were significantly affected by either irrigation or living mulch treatments. For strawberry growth parameters, microsprinklers (34 cm) had 4% greater shoot diameter than impact sprinklers (33 cm/plant), and control plots had 10% and 19% greater leaf number (22 leaves/plant) and crown diameter (47 mm/plant) than hairy indigo plots (20 leaves/plant and 39 mm/plant), respectively. Only hairy indigo and slenderleaf rattlebox significantly reduced weed biomass, to 3 and 8 g/m², respectively, compared to 17 g/m² with the weedy control. Results indicated that using microsprinklers during bare-root strawberry transplant establishment instead of impact sprinklers can maintain strawberry plant growth and yield while decreasing water use, runoff, and erosion. While the living mulches had no impact on runoff and erosion, hairy indigo and slenderleaf rattlebox suppressed weed biomass in row middles.