Fruit production and quality of strawberry plants grown in closed soilless growing systems with substrates/Producao e qualidade do morangueiro em sistemas fechados de cultivo sem solo com emprego de substratos

The objective of the research was to determine fruit production and quality of strawberry plants grown in three different closed soilless systems and two substrates. The experiment was conducted in a screenhouse at Department of Fitotecnia, UFSM, from April to November, 2006. The soilless growing systems were plastic bags, plastic troughs and growing beds, and the substrates were sand and the organic substrate Plantmax PXT(r). A 3 x 2 factorial experimental design was used, with four replications. Drip fertigation was used in the plastic bags and sub-irrigation in the other two systems. A standard complete nutrient solution was used without any disposal of it during the experiment. Ripe fruits were harvested and production, firmness, acidity and soluble solids were determined. A significant interaction among substrates and systems was observed. In sand, a mean fruit production of 1017,4g plants-1 was obtained in plastic troughs, which was 8.13% e 8.33% higher than in plastic bags and growing beds, respectively. In the organic substrate, the higher fruit production was 1196,5g plants-1 in growing beds. It was 10.9% and 29.33% higher than that in plastic bags and plastic troughs, respectively. It was concluded that strawberry soilless production might be done without any disposal of nutrient solution during the cropping period. Fruit production was affected by both the growing system and the substrate, without any effect on fruit quality. Key words: Fragaria x ananassa, hydroponics, nutrient solution, fertigation. O objetivo do trabalho foi determinar o crescimento, a producao e a qualidade das frutas do morangueiro cultivado em tres sistemas fechados sem solo e com dois substratos. Os sistemas foram testados no interior de um abrigo telado, no Departamento de Fitotecnia da UFSM, no periodo entre 27 de abril e 21 de novembro de 2006. Esses sistemas foram constituidos por sacolas fertirrigadas por tubos gotejadores e calhas e leito de cultivo fertirrigados por subirrigacao. Foram empregados substrato organico Plantmax PXT(r) e areia. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi um fatorial 3 x 2, com quatro repeticoes. A fertirrigacao foi feita com solucao nutritiva completa, sem nenhum descarte durante todo o periodo experimental, e as frutas foram colhidas maduras. Foram determinados os seguintes parametros: a producao, a firmeza, a acidez e o teor de solidos soluveis totais. Interacoes significativas entre os sistemas e os substratos foram observadas. Na arei