IMPACT OF SEMI-TRANSPARENT PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS ON THE QUALITY OF 'SIBILLA' STRAWBERRIES IN SOUTHEASTERN ROMANIA

Ongoing climate change and associated abiotic stress from high temperatures and intense light during the vegetative stages significantly impact the productivity and quality of strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa). These stresses can inhibit growth, reduce yields, and lower fruit quality, necessitating adaptive cultivation strategies. This study focuses on the use of hortivoltaic systems, which integrate electricity production with fruit cultivation, providing a shading effect that may benefit strawberry plants. As short-day plants, strawberries require 6-8 hours of direct sunlight to initiate flowering and fruiting; however, excessive light exposure, especially during peak hours, can induce stress, affecting physiological processes and reducing yield and quality. Shading techniques may, therefore, be advantageous in hot climates to alleviate these effects. The experiment took place at the Moara Domneasca Experimental Base on ʹSibillaʹ strawberry variety. A Hortivoltaic plant was installed in June 2023 with two variations of semi-transparent photovoltaic panels: PV1 with 48.92% transparency and PV2 with a higher 77.01% transparency. A reference area without any covering served as a control. The experimental setup consists of an open space with uncovered edges that is situated above the strawberry rows. Within this space, randomized blocks with three replicates were established for the purpose of conducting the measurements. After harvest, any damaged fruits were removed. To assess the impact of the shading variations, 20 randomly chosen marketable fruits from each area were evaluated for several quality parameters: weight, diameter, firmness, sugar content, and pH. Analysis of average fruit weight revealed the lowest value (15.46 g/fruit) under the PV1 panels with 48.92% transparency. Conversely, fruits from the uncovered reference area displayed a significantly higher average weight of 19.49 g/fruit. Interestingly, the PV2 panels with the highest transparency (77.01%) yielded fruit with comparable sugar content (30.33% Brix) to those grown in the uncovered area (33.76% Brix). This suggests minimal impact of PV2 shading on fruit sugar accumulation. Evaluation of fruit firmness demonstrated comparable values across all treatments. Average firmness ranged from 3.27 to 3.08N, indicating minimal influence of shading on this quality parameter. In summary, while the PV1 panels with lower transparency negatively impacted fruit weight as well as other qualitative parameters, the PV2 panels with higher transparency showed promising results in maintaining sugar content and firmness, highlighting the potential benefits of strategic shading in optimizing strawberry production under climatic stress conditions.