Effect of different crop covers on growth of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch)

The present investigation was conducted to assess the influence of different crop covers on the growth, flowering and fruiting parameters of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) during Rabi season of 2024-25 at Dr. Sharadchandra Pawar College of Agriculture, Baramati. The experiment comprised multiple crop covers. The primary objective was to study the effect of different crop covers on growth of strawberry. The experiment followed a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with 10 treatments and three replications. Results revealed significant variations across treatments for all observed parameters. Among the treatments, insect net white consistently recorded superior performance with maximum plant height (22.37 cm), plant spread (34.71 cm), crown number (4.73), leaf area (134.35 cm²) and flower count (34.87), as well as the highest fruit set (80.14%). Red crop cover also showed competitive results, with early flower initiation (29.07 days), higher reproductive success and fruit quality attributes. Conversely, polypaper polyethylene consistently underperformed, showing the lowest values across most growth and yield parameters. Yield attributes such as average fruit weight (19.54 g), number of fruits per plant (27.93) were maximized under insect net white. The enhanced performance under these treatments is attributed to their ability to create a favourable microclimate, promoting improved light diffusion, moderate canopy temperature, optimal humidity and enhanced physiological processes including photosynthesis, carbon assimilation and assimilate translocation. The findings suggest that insect net white and red crop covers significantly improve strawberry growth, flowering, fruit development and overall yield by modifying the microenvironment during critical crop stages. These crop covers offer a practical and effective strategy for improving productivity in protected strawberry cultivation under semi-arid conditions.