A strawberry stolon cutting seedling raising method

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of strawberry seedling raising, and discloses a strawberry stolon plug seedling raising method, which is performed by using a strawberry stolon plug seedling raising device, wherein the strawberry stolon plug seedling raising device comprises a mother plant cultivation device and a stolon plug device, the mother plant cultivation device is planted with strawberry mother plants, the strawberry mother plants generate stolons, and the stolon plug device comprises a plug tray for receiving the stolons, and the plug tray is placed obliquely; the novel stolon plug seedling raising technology combining a plurality of synergistic effects can simultaneously promote the generation of strawberry stolons, increase the maximum number of the generated strawberry stolons, and improve the survival rate and seedling quality after the plug seedling raising.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of strawberry seedling technology, and in particular to a method for propagating strawberry seedlings by introducing runners. Background Technology

[0002] Common strawberry propagation methods include seed propagation, division, runner training, and tissue culture. Currently, runner training is the most commonly used method in production. Runners are stems that grow along the ground. The basal branches have relatively long internodes, and each node can produce leaves, buds, and adventitious roots. After separating from the main stem, they can grow into new individuals, thus they can be used for artificial vegetative propagation. Runners generally have slender internodes with buds and adventitious roots; the buds later develop into new plants.

[0003] However, the current runner propagation method has certain drawbacks. Firstly, the production of strawberry runners usually requires induction treatment of the mother plant to accelerate runner production and increase the number of runners. The common method involves selecting strawberry varieties that easily produce runners and elevating the mother plant. Therefore, this method is difficult to use for some varieties, and the method for inducing runner production is limited. Secondly, the seedling efficiency is low. Runner propagation requires space, but propagation is limited to the length of the runner, thus the number of marketable seedlings that can be produced from each mother plant through runner propagation is limited. Thirdly, there is the issue of variety in runner seedlings; different levels of varieties... Uneven seedling age in runner propagation is a significant issue. After the first runners are trained and rooted, the time between transplanting and planting is typically around three months, resulting in prolonged seedling age, severe root aging, and blackened roots. This blackened root rot can breed pathogens, posing a risk of anthracnose and blight. After transplanting, uneven or slow flower bud differentiation may also occur. Furthermore, the labor-intensive operation of runner propagation is dispersed, leading to low production management efficiency and high labor costs. Additionally, current runner substrate propagation methods result in large root substrate blocks, increasing costs for long-distance transportation of commercial seedlings. Removing the substrate poses risks to survival rate and seedling establishment at transplanting. While strawberry cutting propagation has been reported in production, there is a lack of standardized procedures for seedling collection time, techniques, and cutting methods. This results in low and unstable survival rates and seedling quality, hindering intensive and efficient strawberry seedling production.

[0004] Patent CN202110381405.4 discloses the application and method of promoting the production of strawberry runners by using a yellow-green mixed light quality. It proposes that using a certain proportion of yellow-green mixed light quality to irradiate strawberry mother plants can promote the production of strawberry runners. However, it does not conduct detailed research on the maximum number of strawberry runners produced, the survival rate after transplanting, and the quality of seedlings.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need to further study the strawberry runner propagation method in order to find a strawberry runner propagation method that can simultaneously promote the production of strawberry runners, increase the maximum number of strawberry runners produced, and improve the survival rate and seedling quality after propagation by cuttings. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention discloses a method for propagating strawberry runners by introduction, which combines multiple novel runner propagation techniques that can produce synergistic effects. This method simultaneously promotes the production of strawberry runners, increases the maximum number of strawberry runners produced, and improves the survival rate and seedling quality after propagation by introduction.

[0007] On one hand, the present invention provides a method for propagating strawberry seedlings by runner induction, using a strawberry runner induction propagation device. The strawberry runner induction propagation device includes a mother plant cultivation device and a runner induction device. The mother plant cultivation device is planted with strawberry mother plants, which produce runners. The runner induction device includes a seedling tray for receiving the runners, and the seedling tray is placed at an angle.

[0008] It is worth noting that this invention can simultaneously promote the fruit production of the mother plant while introducing runners, thus simultaneously producing strawberry fruits and commercial strawberry seedlings.

[0009] Preferably, the inclination angle of the seedling tray is 30-70°; the inclination of the seedling tray can make full use of the space to increase the number of strawberry runners propagated per unit area, and the inclination can also accelerate the rooting of seedlings.

[0010] Furthermore, the mother plant cultivation device also includes a substrate and a tidal irrigation device, wherein the substrate is used to grow strawberry mother plants, and the tidal irrigation device is used to periodically provide water or nutrient solution to the strawberry mother plants.

[0011] Using a tidal irrigation device to irrigate water and nutrient solution for mother plants can automatically irrigate strawberry mother plants in the same row in batches. At the same time, it can control the spatial density of water and nutrients in the substrate to be uniform. By controlling the temperature of the water or nutrient solution for mother plants, the temperature of the strawberry mother plant roots can also be controlled, maintaining stable conditions that promote the production of runners in strawberry mother plants.

[0012] In some methods, the temperature of the water or mother plant nutrient solution is 15-25°C.

[0013] This invention discovers that controlling the root temperature of strawberry mother plants at 15-25℃ is more conducive to the production of runners. Specifically, in summer, well water or nutrient solution prepared with well water can be used for irrigation. The method of regulating the root temperature by using the temperature of water or nutrient solution of the mother plant is convenient and the temperature control is stable.

[0014] In some embodiments, the nutrient solution for the mother plant includes a high-nitrogen nutrient solution.

[0015] The high-nitrogen nutrient solution is a nutrient solution containing a high concentration of nitrogen, which can provide abundant nitrogen for the strawberry mother plant. For example, the present invention uses a high concentration of ammonium nitrate solution as the mother plant nutrient solution. Other solutions such as nitrate, ammonium salt and urea can also be used as a high-nitrogen nutrient solution.

[0016] It is worth noting that one of the objectives of this invention is to accelerate the production of runners. This is because when measures are taken to promote runner production, a large number of runners will quickly emerge once the first runner appears. Without intervention, the first runner appears later, and the maximum number of runners is smaller. Therefore, there is a certain correlation between the time of runner appearance and the maximum number. The earlier the runners appear after intervention, the greater the final number of runners, which is beneficial for large-scale production of commercial strawberry seedlings.

[0017] In some embodiments, the mother plant nutrient solution includes chelated iron, calcium nitrate, and 6-BA.

[0018] The nutrient solution for the mother plant of this invention is a specially formulated solution designed to promote the production of runners in strawberry varieties that are not prone to developing runners. Among its components, chelated iron is EDTA-Fe, typically used to promote chlorophyll synthesis; calcium nitrate primarily provides nitrogen and calcium; nitrogen is an essential element for plants, and calcium is typically used to strengthen cell walls and prevent disease; 6-BA, chemically known as 6-benzylaminopurine, is commonly used to stimulate plant growth and development by inducing cell division. In preliminary studies, this invention used a high-nitrogen nutrient solution, which achieved some effectiveness, but it was not suitable for strawberry varieties that are not prone to developing runners. The strawberry strains showed little effect in promoting runner production, so the inventors continued their research and discovered that nutrient solutions containing the three substances mentioned above could significantly promote runner production in strawberry strains that were not prone to runner production, mainly by shortening the time it took for runners to form. Further research revealed that nitrogen, calcium, chelated iron, and 6-BA had a synergistic effect. The efficacy was significantly reduced when any one of the substances was missing or its content was lowered. Therefore, the inventors speculated that the mechanism of action was that each of the above substances was a necessary component of a certain physiological pathway that promotes runner production.

[0019] Furthermore, the mother plant cultivation device also includes supplemental lighting for upward illumination.

[0020] This invention discovers that upward illumination by supplemental lighting has a beneficial effect on the production of strawberry runners. This is likely due to several factors: First, the supplemental lighting is positioned on the substrate surface, close to the strawberry leaves, resulting in low light loss and higher lighting efficiency. Second, when lighting is typically applied from top to bottom, the bottom leaves' light is blocked by the top leaves, leading to insufficient light and premature aging. This invention, however, provides upward lighting, activating the physiological functions of the bottom leaves and significantly benefiting the growth and development of the mother plant and the production of runners. Finally, the physiological processes occurring on the two sides of a leaf when exposed to light differ; this invention finds that providing supplemental lighting to the underside of the leaves promotes runner production. Furthermore, the specific form of the supplemental lighting is a long strip laid on the substrate, which can simultaneously provide lighting to the same row of strawberry mother plants, saving overhead space and increasing the number of strawberry seedlings that can be cultivated per unit space.

[0021] In some configurations, the supplemental light provides 14-16 hours of illumination per day.

[0022] Extended light exposure is related to the physiological functions of strawberries. Under normal light exposure of 12 hours / day, strawberries tend to differentiate flower buds and bloom, and tend not to produce runners. This invention found that strawberries are more likely to produce runners under light exposure of 14-16 hours / day.

[0023] In some configurations, the fill light provides a red light:violet light ratio of 1:3-10.

[0024] In this invention, light quality is understood conventionally as red light, which is light with a wavelength of 640-780nm, and violet light, which is light with a wavelength of 380-450nm.

[0025] Although current research has indicated that certain mixed light qualities are beneficial to the production of runners, based on the principle that specific wavelengths can induce specific physiological processes in strawberry plants, the present invention combines irrigation with specific nutrient solutions and seedling propagation. It is understood that promoting the production of runners is not limited to a single physiological pathway. Therefore, further research is needed to find light qualities that can have a synergistic effect with irrigation with specific nutrient solutions.

[0026] Through experiments, this invention has found that, based on the above-mentioned nutrient solution containing chelated iron, calcium nitrate and 6-BA, the addition of red and blue mixed light can significantly accelerate the production of stolons. The principle may be that certain light qualities can promote the activation of corresponding physiological pathways, and the wavelength and mixing ratio of light are crucial when cells receive light. This invention has found that only the above-mentioned mixed light quality can have a significantly greater effect than other light qualities.

[0027] Furthermore, the stolon insertion device includes a spray irrigation device for periodically providing water or stolon nutrient solution to the stolon.

[0028] The advantages of spray irrigation are twofold: firstly, it provides water and nutrient solution evenly to the surface of the runners, stimulating root development; secondly, because the spray points are positioned above the tilted seedling trays, the amount of water and nutrient solution received by the runners decreases as the distance from the mother plant increases. Compared to uniform irrigation of all runner levels, experiments have shown that this method is more conducive to improving the seedling quality of runners.

[0029] In some embodiments, the stolon nutrient solution comprises a high-phosphorus nutrient solution.

[0030] The high-phosphorus nutrient solution is a nutrient solution containing a high concentration of phosphorus, which can provide abundant phosphorus for strawberry mother plants. For example, the present invention selects a solution of potassium dihydrogen phosphate as a high-phosphorus nutrient solution. Solutions of other phosphates, phosphorus oxides, etc. can also be used as a high-phosphorus nutrient solution.

[0031] In some embodiments, the stolon nutrient solution includes potassium dihydrogen phosphate, indolebutyric acid, and lysine.

[0032] The stolon nutrient solution of this invention is a specially formulated nutrient solution for promoting stolon rooting. Potassium dihydrogen phosphate provides phosphorus and potassium, indolebutyric acid is commonly used for cell elongation and root development, and lysine is commonly used to improve plant stress resistance. Initial research using a high-phosphorus nutrient solution for spray irrigation showed good results for seedling quality, but the survival rate was low. Survival rate refers to the probability of seedlings from cuttings surviving after transplanting. Therefore, the inventors further discovered that spray irrigation with a nutrient solution containing potassium dihydrogen phosphate, indolebutyric acid, and lysine significantly improved the survival rate of stolons. In fact, the inventors conducted numerous formulation experiments and finally obtained a simplified formula consisting of only three substances. This is because the three substances have a synergistic effect; the survival rate significantly decreases when any one of them is missing.

[0033] It is worth noting that the above-mentioned stolon nutrient solution is best used in conjunction with the mother plant's nutrient solution and mixed light quality. This is because the condition of the stolon is determined by the mother plant, so the stolon nutrient solution can only be reasonably prepared to achieve the corresponding effect if the nutrient solution and cultivation method of the mother plant are clearly understood.

[0034] Furthermore, in the stolon insertion device, one mother plant cultivation device corresponds to multiple stolon insertion devices.

[0035] For strawberry varieties that easily produce runners, a single strawberry mother plant can typically produce about 20 runners. Therefore, multiple runner insertion devices are needed to accommodate the multiple runners produced in a single mother plant cultivation device.

[0036] Furthermore, the strawberry runner propagation device also includes a first platform, a second platform, and a support. The first platform and the second platform are used to fix the mother plant cultivation device and the runner propagation device, respectively. Both the first platform and the second platform are mounted on the support and are both height-adjustable.

[0037] The seedling trays of the present invention are placed on an inclined pad, which is supported by a second platform. The number of seedling trays can be reduced or increased by raising or lowering the second platform, and can be dynamically adjusted as the strawberry stolons at various levels are produced.

[0038] In summary, the present invention has the following beneficial technical effects:

[0039] This invention discloses a novel method for strawberry runner propagation by induction, which combines multiple novel runner propagation techniques that can produce synergistic effects, thereby promoting the production of strawberry runners, increasing the maximum number of strawberry runners produced, and improving the survival rate and seedling quality after induction propagation. Attached Figure Description

[0040] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the strawberry runner propagation device;

[0041] Attached labels: 1-Strawberry mother plant, 2-Runner, 3-Substrate, 4-Mother plant cultivation container, 5-Tidal irrigation device, 6-Supplemental light, 7-Plant tray, 8-Material board, 9-First platform, 10-Second platform, 11-Support, 12-Snap fastener, 13-Spray irrigation device. Detailed Implementation

[0042] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. These embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Unless otherwise specified, the materials and reagents used in the following embodiments are commercially available.

[0043] Example 1: Strawberry runner propagation method

[0044] The strawberry runner propagation method of the present invention is carried out using a strawberry runner propagation device. A schematic diagram of the strawberry runner propagation device is shown below. Figure 1The strawberry mother plant 1 is planted in a mother plant cultivation container 4, which contains a substrate 3. A tidal irrigation device 5 contains nutrient solution for the mother plant. Multiple micropores are provided at the bottom of the mother plant cultivation container 4 to allow the nutrient solution from the tidal irrigation device 5 to permeate into the substrate 3. A supplemental light 6 is installed on the surface of the substrate 3, pointing upwards for illumination. The strawberry mother plant 1 will produce runners 2, and the roots generated by the runners 2 will fall sequentially into multiple tilted seed trays 7. Each seed tray 7 is placed and fixed at an angle. The first platform 7 is placed on a pad 8, with one side of the pad 8 set on the second platform 10 at a 60° angle. The second platform 10 is connected to the bracket 11 and its height is adjustable via a buckle 12. The height adjustment of the first platform 10 also affects the pad 8, thereby adjusting the position and number of seedling trays 7. The mother plant cultivation container 4 is set on the first platform 9, which is also equipped with a spray irrigation device 13. The spray irrigation device 13 is located above the seedling trays 7 and atomizes the nutrient solution of the runners and sprays it downwards.

[0045] Figure 1 The image shown is a cross-sectional view of a strawberry runner propagation device. In practice, the device consists of a single, vertically aligned row of strawberry runners. The mother plant cultivation container 4, the tidal irrigation device 5, the supplemental lighting 6, and the misting irrigation device 13 all extend perpendicular to the paper to facilitate batch propagation. The tidal irrigation device 5 is a strip-shaped nutrient solution bag placed within the mother plant cultivation container 4. The supplemental lighting 6 is a waterproof LED strip with various LED units to adjust the generation and mixing ratio of different light qualities. The supplemental lighting 6 has a control panel for easy adjustment of the mixed light quality. The misting irrigation device 13 is a tubular container with an atomizer positioned above each group of seedling trays 7 for misting irrigation.

[0046] The following is a detailed method for using the above-mentioned strawberry runner propagation device for strawberry runner propagation:

[0047] First, the strawberry mother plant 1 and substrate 3 were transferred together into the mother plant cultivation container 4. In this embodiment, the Akihime strawberry, which is prone to producing runners, was selected as the test variety. At this time, the tidal irrigation device 5 and the supplemental light 6 were turned on at the same time. The strawberry runners mainly produce in the summer when the temperature is high. The experiment started in May 2023. Well water with a temperature of 15-25℃ was used as a solvent to prepare the nutrient solution for the mother plant in the tidal irrigation device 5. The specific composition was 10mg / L chelated iron, 500mg / L calcium nitrate and 0.5mg / L 6-BA. Sufficient amount was prepared at one time. The water pump with the set program was used to irrigate once every 15 minutes, and each irrigation time was 5 minutes. The supplemental light 6 was set to a red light and purple light mixed ratio of 1:5.5, the light intensity was set to 8000 Lux, and the light was provided for 15 hours / day.

[0048] After 12 days of the above process, the first runner will emerge. This runner will be inserted into the seedling tray 7, and multiple runners will quickly emerge thereafter. This discussion will focus on the first runner as an example. At this time, the spray irrigation device 13 will be turned on. The nutrient solution in the spray irrigation device 13 contains 150 mg / L potassium dihydrogen phosphate, 150 mg / L indolebutyric acid, and 1 mg / L lysine. The spraying time is 1 hour between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm every day. The spraying will be turned off when the leaf surface is completely wet to ensure that the seedling tray is always moist and rich in nutrient solution.

[0049] Six seedlings were propagated from each runner. Once the last seedling had rooted, it was removed from the seedling tray, and a new set of trays was used to continue propagation. After 20 days, all six seedling trays on each tray had successfully propagated runners, with each runner producing six strawberry seedlings. This only reflects the propagation of the first runner from each mother strawberry plant. In reality, the Zhangji strawberry variety readily produces runners. In the summer of 2023, five Zhangji strawberry mother plants were used for this propagation method, with an average yield of [missing information - likely a number of seedlings per mother plant]. 20.8 runners were generated, and 620 strawberry seedlings were successfully planted in 624 seedling trays, achieving a survival rate of 99.4%. The typical survival rate of runner propagation is around 80%, demonstrating that the method of this invention significantly improves the survival rate of the Zhangji strawberry. Further cultivation revealed that the commercial seedlings obtained by this invention are of excellent quality, exhibiting rapid growth and fewer pests and diseases. Furthermore, while propagating seedlings through runner propagation, this invention also provides sufficient nutrients to the mother strawberry plant to promote fruit setting, significantly improving production efficiency.

[0050] Example 2: The impact of different irrigation methods on seedling cultivation

[0051] The irrigation method of this invention is tidal irrigation for the mother plant and spray irrigation for the stolons. This is the preferred method obtained through experiments in the early research of this invention. This embodiment lists examples of other irrigation methods.

[0052] For the mother plants, in previous studies, in addition to tidal irrigation, watering and spray irrigation were also used. The main difference lies in the timing of runner formation. Watering was carried out at 6:00 AM and 8:00 PM daily, with 300 mL per plant per application, using the nutrient solution from Example 1. Spray irrigation was carried out at 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM daily, using the nutrient solution from Example 1, stopping spraying when the leaf surface was completely wet. The strawberry variety used was Zhangji strawberry. The first runner appeared in 12 days for strawberry mother plants treated with tidal irrigation, in 17 days for those treated with watering, and in 18 days for those treated with spray irrigation.

[0053] For runners, in previous studies, in addition to spray irrigation, drip irrigation was also used. The strawberry mother plants for both were cultivated according to the method in Example 1. Spray irrigation was the same as in Example 1. Drip irrigation was to drip irrigation the runner nutrient solution of Example 1 into the plug trays into which the runners were inserted. A certain drip irrigation frequency was set, with high frequency during the day and low frequency at night. Each plug tray was dripped with 100 mL / day. The final difference was mainly in the rooting time of the last seedling. The last seedling of the spray irrigation was rooted after 20 days of the experiment, while the last seedling of the drip irrigation was rooted after 23 days of the experiment.

[0054] Therefore, different irrigation methods affect the efficiency of strawberry propagation by cuttings. Tidal irrigation of the mother plant and spray irrigation of the runners are preferred. The principle may be that tidal irrigation can regulate the substrate temperature in time and replenish the nutrients in the substrate in time, which can continuously induce the production of runners. Spray irrigation can also regulate the overall temperature of the runner area, increase humidity, and replenish the nutrients needed for rooting in time.

[0055] Example 3: The impact of seedling tray placement on seedling cultivation

[0056] The present invention adopts the method of tilting the seedling trays, which is the preferred method obtained through experimental verification. Compared with the conventional flat placement, tilting the seedling trays can save space and improve seedling efficiency.

[0057] The flat-laying seedling trays were placed on a plane level with the cultivation container of the strawberry mother plant. The spray irrigation device was set directly 30cm above the seedling trays. All other conditions were the same as in Example 1. The last seedling rooted after 22 days of the experiment, which was later than the experimental group with the seedling trays placed at an angle.

[0058] The possible principle is that placing the seedling trays at an angle causes a difference in the total amount of nutrient solution sprayed onto the stolons, and the amount of nutrient solution administered has a certain impact on the rooting of seedlings.

[0059] Further experiments showed that a tilt angle of 30-70° is optimal for seedlings to root faster.

[0060] Example 4: The effect of mother plant nutrient solution composition on seedling cultivation

[0061] Generally speaking, to promote the growth of runners from the mother plant, a high-nitrogen nutrient solution should be applied. In the early experiments, the use of a high-nitrogen nutrient solution for the Zhangji strawberry achieved good results. However, it was also noted that strawberry varieties that do not easily produce runners, such as the ever-blooming strawberry, still have difficulty producing runners.

[0062] In this embodiment, a series of mother plant nutrient solutions were prepared for tidal irrigation of everbearing strawberries. Except for the differences in the composition of the mother plant nutrient solutions, all other procedures were carried out in accordance with Example 1. The efficacy of different mother plant nutrient solutions in promoting the growth of runners in everbearing strawberry mother plants was determined based on the time of runner production. Five parallel groups were set up, and the mean values ​​of each group were calculated. Some experimental results are shown in Table 1.

[0063] Table 1: Differences in the efficacy of different nutrient solutions for mother plants in promoting the growth of stolons (n=5)

[0064]

[0065] Based on the above experimental results, it can be seen that the specific composition of the mother plant nutrient solution affects the propagation of strawberry varieties that do not easily produce runners, due to differences in their efficacy in promoting runner production. A high-nitrogen nutrient solution, typically prepared with ammonium nitrate, was found to produce primary runners only after 33 days. The mother plant nutrient solution containing chelated iron, calcium nitrate, and 6-BA, preferred in this invention, can shorten the runner production time to 18.2 days, significantly shortening the seedling cycle. When one of the reagents is removed or calcium nitrate is replaced with potassium nitrate, the runner production time significantly increases, indicating a synergistic effect among chelated iron, nitrogen, calcium, and 6-BA. The mechanism of action may involve a physiological pathway promoting runner production where chelated iron, nitrogen, calcium, and 6-BA are all essential.

[0066] Example 5: The effect of supplemental lighting on seedling cultivation

[0067] Traditional supplemental lighting involves illuminating the strawberry mother plant from above with white visible light at an intensity of 5000-10000 Lux. This method can enhance the physiological activity of the top leaves of strawberries, which is beneficial for fruit setting. However, it has no significant effect on the production of runners, and may even have a negative impact on the development of runners in some varieties. This invention has found that placing the supplemental lighting source at the base of the strawberry mother plant, i.e., illuminating upwards from below the leaves, can promote the production of runners, as detailed below:

[0068] Supplemental lighting from above involved placing a supplemental light 30cm above the strawberry mother plant with a light intensity of 8000 Lux, and everything else was the same as in Example 1. Supplemental lighting from below was carried out strictly in accordance with the method in Example 1. Twenty groups were set up in parallel. The average time for runner formation of all strawberry mother plants receiving supplemental lighting from above was 14.4 days, which was 11.8 days later than the time for runner formation of strawberry mother plants receiving supplemental lighting from below.

[0069] Regarding light intensity, this invention conducted a series of experiments and found that when the light intensity was 5000-10000 Lux, the time for runner production of the Zhangji strawberry mother plant was not significantly different, all around 12 days; among them, the preferred light intensity was 8000 Lux, which could produce runners 1 day earlier for some strawberry mother plants.

[0070] Regarding the selection of light quality and mixing ratio, this invention conducted a series of experiments, setting up 10 parallel groups. The method of propagation by cuttings was the same as in Example 1, the only difference being the different mixed light quality. The mixed light quality can be directly modified by adjusting the parameters of the supplemental lighting panel. Some of the experimental results are shown in Table 2.

[0071] Table 2: Differences in the efficacy of different mixed light qualities in promoting the growth of stolons from mother plants (n=10)

[0072]

[0073] The experimental results show that the selection of light quality has a significant impact on stolon formation. The optimal light quality is a mixture of red and violet light with a mixing ratio of 1:3-10, and the most preferred ratio is 1:5.5. Although red light accounts for a small proportion, using only violet light significantly prolongs the stolon formation time, suggesting a synergistic effect between red and violet light. Replacing violet light with blue light also significantly prolongs the stolon formation time, indicating that wavelength range is a core influencing factor. Using the existing publicly available yellow-green mixed light quality, no significant promoting effect on stolon formation was found. This may be because the direction of illumination is from bottom to top, involving completely different physiological mechanisms, and therefore cannot be directly applied.

[0074] Regarding supplemental lighting time, this invention found that extending the supplemental lighting time to 14-16 hours / day can promote the production of stolons.

[0075] Further research revealed that the effectiveness of mixed light quality is related to the composition of the nutrient solution of the mother plant. When using a high-nitrogen nutrient solution prepared with ammonium nitrate to cultivate everbearing strawberries that do not easily produce runners, even supplemental lighting according to the above-mentioned preferred method could not shorten the time for runner production. This suggests that the composition of the nutrient solution and supplemental lighting may act on the same physiological pathway and need to be combined for propagation by cuttings to achieve the best results.

[0076] Example 6: The effect of runner nutrient solution on seedling cultivation

[0077] Generally, to promote the root growth of runners, a high-phosphorus nutrient solution should be applied. For strawberry varieties that easily produce runners, applying any reasonable nutrient solution will not bring significant differences. However, the growth of runner roots into seedlings is correlated with the production of runners from the mother plant. Especially for strawberry varieties that are difficult to produce runners, the present invention uses mixed light quality supplemental lighting and tidal irrigation of the mother plant's nutrient solution to synergistically promote runner production, which may be detrimental to the root growth of runners and seedling formation. Therefore, a new runner nutrient solution needs to be developed to promote the root growth of runners and the formation of commercial seedlings.

[0078] This embodiment prepared a series of runner nutrient solutions and sprayed them onto the runners produced by the ever-blooming strawberry mother plant. Except for the difference in the composition of the runner nutrient solution, everything else was the same as in Example 1. Each group of runner nutrient solutions was tested in parallel 5 times. The ever-blooming strawberry mother plant produced 5-10 runners. Based on the growth of the runners, 6 seedlings were propagated from each runner. The survival rate after final transplanting (number of surviving seedlings / total number of propagated seedlings) was calculated. Some experimental results are shown in Table 3.

[0079] Table 3: Differences in the effectiveness of different stolons on survival rate

[0080]

[0081] Based on the above experimental results, it can be seen that when inducing runners in strawberry varieties that do not easily produce runners, the use of different runner nutrient solutions has a significant impact on the survival rate. It is preferable to use a runner nutrient solution containing potassium dihydrogen phosphate, indolebutyric acid, and lysine for spray irrigation. Reducing any one of the components will significantly decrease the final survival rate.

[0082] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any equivalent modifications or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for propagating strawberry seedlings by introducing runners, characterized in that, The strawberry stolon propagation device is used, which includes a mother plant cultivation device and a stolon propagation device. The mother plant cultivation device is planted with strawberry mother plants, which produce stolons. The stolon propagation device includes a seedling tray for receiving the stolons, and the seedling tray is placed at an angle. The mother plant cultivation device also includes a supplemental light for upward illumination. The supplemental light provides red light:violet light = 1:3-10. The mother plant cultivation device also includes a tidal irrigation device, which is used to periodically provide the strawberry mother plant with nutrient solution; the mother plant nutrient solution includes a high-nitrogen nutrient solution; the mother plant nutrient solution includes chelated iron, calcium nitrate and 6-BA; The runner propagation device includes a spray irrigation device for periodically providing runner nutrient solution to the runners; the runner nutrient solution includes a high-phosphorus nutrient solution; the runner nutrient solution includes potassium dihydrogen phosphate, indolebutyric acid, and lysine.

2. The method for propagating strawberry seedlings by introducing runners as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The mother plant cultivation device also includes a substrate used for planting strawberry mother plants.

3. A method for propagating strawberry seedlings by introducing runners as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The temperature of the nutrient solution for the mother plant is 15-25℃.

4. The method for propagating strawberry seedlings by introducing runners as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The supplemental light provides 14-16 hours of illumination per day.

5. The method for propagating strawberry seedlings by introducing runners as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In the stolon insertion device, one mother plant cultivation device corresponds to multiple stolon insertion devices.

6. The method for propagating strawberry seedlings by introducing runners as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The strawberry runner propagation device also includes a first platform, a second platform, and a support. The first platform and the second platform are used to fix the mother plant cultivation device and the runner propagation device, respectively. Both the first platform and the second platform are set on the support and their heights are adjustable.

Images