Optimizing strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa cv. ‘Ruby Gem’) performance and fruit quality using sorbitol and boron foliar sprays

This study evaluated the effects of foliar application of sorbitol and boron on vegetative growth, physiological traits, yield, and fruit quality of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) cv. ‘Ruby Gem’. The randomized complete block design (RCBD) of two-factor factorial were designed to evaluated the foliar application of sorbitol at three levels (0, 50, and 100 gL−1) and boron supplied as boric acid (17% B) at three levels (0, 30, and 50 gL−1), resulted in 9 treatment combinations and 3 replicates per treatment. The combination of 50 g.l−1 sorbitol and 100 g.l−1 of boron increased total chlorophyll concentration by 34.58% and the number of leaves per plant by 19% compared to control plants. Leaf area and vegetative weight were also markedly increased; the largest leaf area (4497.66 cm2/plant) was present when the two treatments were applied in combination, resulting in a 23.85% increase in vegetative weight compared with the control. Specifically, there was a positive increase in the reproductive traits of number of flowers per plant, percentage of fruit formation, number of fruits per plant and total yield increased by 18.84%, 13.28%, 30.77% and 53.22%, respectively. Likewise, the quality of the fruit showed significant increases, with total soluble solids increased by 49.38%, glucose content by 73.01%, vitamin C by 71.47%, and phenolic content by 91.42% compared to control. The foliar application of sorbitol with boron as foliar is an attractive methodology for increasing growth performance as well as yield and nutritional quality of strawberries.