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Growth and yield responses of strawberry plants to chitosan application

Article · January 2010

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European Journal of Scientific Research
ISSN 1450-216X Vol.39 No.1 (2010), pp.170-177
© EuroJournals Publishing, Inc. 2010
http://www.eurojournals.com/ejsr.htm

Growth and Yield Responses of Strawberry Plants to

Chitosan Application

A.M.R Abdel-Mawgoud
Dept. Vegetable Research, National Research Center, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt
E-mail: Dr_Abdelmawgoud@yahoo.com
Tel.: +2010-688-7127; Fax: +202-333-70931

A.S. Tantawy
Dept. Vegetable Research, National Research Center, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt

M.A. El-Nemr
Dept. Vegetable Research, National Research Center, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt

Y.N. Sassine
Faculty of Agriculture, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon

Abstract

Two field experiments were conducted in the two successive seasons of 2007 and
2008 in Qalubiya governorate, Egypt to investigate the effect of chitosan foliar application
on the growth, yield and fruit quality of strawberry plants. Transplants were cultivated in a
clay loam soil. Chitosan solution was sprayed three times starting at ten weeks after
transplanting with four weeks interval in concentrations of 0 (control), 1, 2, 3, and 4 cm3/l
until runoff. Data showed that chitosan application improved plant height, number of
leaves, fresh and dry weights of the leaves and yield components (number and weight). The
responses were positively related to the applied concentrations with the highest peak
recorded with 2 cm3/l then started to decline with higher applied concentrations but still
significantly higher than control treatment. Fruit quality in terms of average weight of
individual fruits and TSS showed similar trends.

Keywords: Strawberry, chitosan, plant growth, yield, fruit quality

Introduction
Strawberries have been one of the outstanding successful produced crops in Egypt. According to
(Taylor, 2002) strawberry exports from Egypt have increased from 1,200 tons in 1996 to
approximately 5,600 tons worth $22.7 million in 2001-2002. This peak in production and exportation
has been brought about by the application of new technologies which resulted in rapid advances in the
Egyptian strawberry industry and has made it possible for the industry to compete effectively with
other African and Mediterranean suppliers to the European Union and the Gulf states. The Egyptian
production more recently was estimated by about 112 thousands tons (FAO, 2005). However, advances
and improvement in this trend must continue and more environmental friendly production must be
followed. Some environmental-friendly products that has been widely used in agricultural applications
Growth and Yield Responses of Strawberry Plants to Chitosan Application 171

is chitosan mainly for stimulation of plant defense (Roby et al., 1987; Lawton et al., 1996; Siegrist et
al., 1997; Ohta et al., 2001; Yu and Meuhlbauer, 2001). It is a polysaccharide called 2-Amino-2-deoxy-
beta-D-glucosasmine (Peniston & Johnson, 1980). The chitosan molecule triggers a defense response
within the plant, leading to the formation of physical and chemical barriers against invading pathogens
(BioPesticides Manual, 2002). Chitosan is a natural polymer derived from deactylation of chitin. Chitin
is readily available from shellfish waste from food processing.
Generally in agriculture, chitosan has been used in seed, leaf, fruit and vegetable coating
(Devlieghere et al., 2004), as fertilizer and in controlled agrochemical release (Sukwattanasinitt et al.,
2001), to increase plant product (Wanichpongpan et al., 2001; Chandrkrachang, 2002; New, 2004), to
stimulate the immunity of plants (Hadwiger et al., 2002), to protect plants against microorganisms
(Pospieszny et al., 1991; Struszczyk and Pospieszny, 1997; Bautista-Ban¡os et al., 2003) and to
stimulate plant growth. In the latter studies, a positive effect of chitosan was observed on the growth of
roots, shoots and leaves of various plants including gerbera (Wanichpongpan et al., 2001) and of
several crop plants (Chibu and Shibayama, 2001). Orchid stimulation of growth, renewed flower
production and enhanced resistance against fungi and virus (Chandrkrachang, 2002). However, some
trials on chitosan were conducted in organic and conventional crops with variables results (Walker et
al., 2004). While chitosan application resulted in yield increases of nearly 20% in two out of three
tomato trials, no significant difference in yield of treatments in the organic carrot trial (Walker et al.,
2004) or in average weight of individual carrots. They found also no significant differences among
cucumber, capsicum, beet-root or peas plants from any treatment, however the chitosan foliar treatment
had a tendency for greater yield than the yield from other treatments. Fresh and dry shoot weights of
chitosan treated Lettuce plants were significantly higher than the standard produced plants (Bion®
treated plants).
As mentioned above, there are large variations among different crops in their responses to the
application of chitosan, and no reports were found concerning the growth and production of strawberry
in response to chitosan application except as an anti-fungi application to harvested strawberry fruits.
Therefore, this study was intended to investigate the response of growth and yield of strawberry plants
to the application of different doses of chitosan in the field.

2. Material and Methods

Two experiments were carried out in a private farm in Qalubiya governorate, Egypt during the two
successive seasons of 2007 and 2008. Seedlings of strawberry Fragaria × ananassa cultivar Sweet
Charlie, were cultivated on October 31st and 20th of 2007 and 2008, for the first and second seasons
respectively. Plants were 25 cm apart. All agricultural practices of cultivation were performed as
recommended by the Ministry of Agriculture, Egypt. The soil texture was characterized as clay loamy
soil.

2.1. Experimental Treatments

Chitosan (2-Amino-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucosasmine) solution was prepared by dissolving a proper
amount of Chito – Care®, an Egyptian commercial product of chitosan, in fresh water to obtain five
concentrations namely 0 (control), 1, 2, 3 and 4 cm3/l. Three spraying applications of each
concentration were applied with one month intervals. The first application was carried out 6 weeks
after transplanting. Foliar applications were carried out until run off using manual pump sprayer.

2.1. Experimental Design and Recorded Data

The experiment was designed as randomized complete block design with three replicates. Each
replicate contained 120 plants. The following data were recorded and statistically analyzed according
to Snedecore and Cochran (1991): length of the longest leaf, number of leaves, fresh and dry weights
of the leaves, number of fruits, and total yield. Yield quality in terms of individual fruit weight, Total
172 A.M.R Abdel-Mawgoud, A.S. Tantawy, M.A. El-Nemr and Y.N. Sassine

soluble Solids using hand refractometer at different harvest time, Total Acidity in fruit juice was
calculated according to A.O.A.C. (1990). The contents of N, P and K in the dried fruits were
determined in the acid digested solution by Micro-kjeldahle, colorimetric method (ammonium
molybdate) using spectrophotometer and flame photometer (Chapman and Pratt, 1961) for N, P and K ,
respectively.

3. Results
3.1. Effect of Chitosan Application on Vegetative Growth
Figure (1) shows the response of vegetative growth of strawberry plants to chitosan application. Length
of the longest leaf of strawberry plants increased as the chitosan application increased until the
concentration of 2 cm3/l and started to decline afterward. Although a general increment trend in length
of the longest leaf was clear, these differences were not significant. Number of leaves per plant
increased significantly compared to control. The increment in this parameter continued as the
concentration of chitosan application increased until 2 cm3/l then it started to decline with higher
concentrations of chitosan, however, still significantly higher than control. Fresh and dry weights of
plant shoot showed also similar trends. In both seasons, fresh and dry weights of plant shoot increased
significantly compared to control treatment. The concentration of 2 cm3/l showed superiority in its
effect on both parameters compared to all other treatments. The differences recorded among all
treatments were significant at P 5%.

Figure 1: Vegetative parameters of strawberry plants as affected by different concentrations of chitosan

applications. Left and right columns are seasons of 2007 and 2008 respectively. Error bars are
LSD5%.
Growth and Yield Responses of Strawberry Plants to Chitosan Application 173

3.2. Effect of Chitosan Application on Yield and its Quality

Figure (2) demonstrates the effects of different applied chitosan concentrations on strawberry yield
components and its quality. Number of strawberry fruits per plant increased generally in response to
chitosan application compared to control treatment. The concentration of 2 cm3/l showed the highest
effect which was significantly different than all other treatments. Higher concentrations had lower
effect but still significantly higher than control. The same trend was recorded for total fruit yield per
plant. The concentration of 2 cm3/l recorded the highest effect compared to all treatments including the
control.

Figure 2: Yield components and its quality of strawberry as affected by different concentrations of chitosan
applications. Left and right columns are seasons of 2007 and 2008 respectively. Error bars are
LSD5%.
174 A.M.R Abdel-Mawgoud, A.S. Tantawy, M.A. El-Nemr and Y.N. Sassine

Fruit quality in terms of average weight of individual fruits showed also a significant response
to chitosan application with the highest response recorded with the concentration of 2 cm3/l. Other
chitosan concentrations showed also positive effects higher than control treatments. Other fruit quality
parameters such as Total Soluble Solids (TSS) showed tendency to increase in response to chitosan
application however, these results were not significantly different among each other.

3.3. Effect of Chitosan Application on Chemical and Nutritional Parameters

Nutritional parameters such as total acidity and total sugars contents in strawberry fruits and chemical
contents in the leaves are shown by Figure (3). Total acidity and total sugars increased significantly in
response to chitosan application compared to the control treatment. The two parameters increased as
the chitosan applied concentration increased until 2 cm3/l then the response started to decline. All
chitosan applications significantly increased total carbohydrates content in the fruits compared to the
control treatment.
While leaf's contents of N and K increased significantly as chitosan application increased, leaf's
content of P was not significantly affected by any of these treatments. The concentration of 2 cm3/l
recorded the highest contents for those nutrients compared to all other treatments (fig. 3).

Figure 3: Chemical analysis of strawberry fruits as affected by different concentrations of chitosan

applications. Left and right columns are seasons of 2007 and 2008 respectively. Error bars are
LSD5%.
Growth and Yield Responses of Strawberry Plants to Chitosan Application 175

4. Discussion
Chitosan has been described as “plant defense booster”. The term ‘plant defense booster’ applies to a
group of compounds, which act by triggering various physiological and morphological responses
within the plant that help to stimulate natural defense mechanisms. The practical significance of plant
defense boosters is that they can help to reduce the amount of crop protection chemicals applied to
crops. Results from the literature indicate variability in plant responses following application of plant
defense boosters such as chitosan (Walker et al., 2004). However, these studies focused on the defense
mechanisms of the plant. More recently, Quang et al., (2006) reported that chitosan positive effect on
barely plants depended on the molecular weight of the applied chitosan. This study intended to focus
on other growth and productive responses of strawberry plants. In this study, recorded parameters of
both vegetative and reproductive growth responded positively to the application of chitosan. Cuibu and
Shiayama (2001) reported positive effects of chitosan incorporated into the soil on early growth stages
of soybean, mini-tomato, upland rice and lettuce. These improvement included plant height, leaf area,
and dry weight of plants. Although length of the longest leaf of strawberry in this study was not
significantly affected there was a tendency for a positive response. The other two parameters (leaf area
and dry weight) increased in accordance with the results mentioned by Chibu and Shiayama (2001).
The latter authors referred these positive effects to more availability of amino compounds released
from chitosan when decomposed in the soil. Although chlorophyll content was not measured in this
study, Chibu and Shiayama (2001) reported higher chlorophyll content in the chitosan-treated plants.
Both factors (higher number of leaves and chlorophyll content) contribute to a more photosynthesate
production which reflects on higher dry weight and production of the plants and this is what has been
observed in this study. The increment in dry weight reflected on the yield components namely fruit
weight and number. This was also clear in the higher content of sugars in the fruits. The degree of
responses differed according to the applied concentration of chitosan. This was also reported to differ
by the crop and concentration (Chibu and Shiayama, 2001; Walker et al., 2004). The increment in total
N content in the leaves maybe brought about by the amino components in chitosan and or higher
ability of the plant to absorb N from the soil when chitosan was degraded. Also the higher content of K
explains the higher quality of the fruits due to the presence of K which acts on photosynthate
translocation from the leaves to the storage organs.

5. Conclusion
It can be concluded from the results of this study that chitosan application to strawberry plants results
in an improvement in plant growth and production particularly with the concentration of 2 cm3/l.
However, more studies are needed to determine the exact mechanism(s) that lead to these
improvements.

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