Determination of factors affecting sensitivity of two strawberry species to iron deficiency

Iron (Fe) deficiency is an important nutritional problem occurring in plants and humans in the world. It is also common nutritional problem in Turkey and the strawberry is known as a sensitive species to Fe deficiency which results in significant yield and quality losses. The objective of this study was to determine the factors affecting the sensitivity of strawberry to Fe deficiency using BSP 14 (Fragaria chiloensis L.) and LH 30-4 (F. virginiana Miller) genotypes of the cultivated strawberry, F. ×ananassa Duch in hydroponic culture. In the study, the genotypes LH 30-4 and BSP 14 were selected as plant material. F. chiloensis and F. virginiana were determined as tolerant and sensitive to Fe deficiency in a previous screening study. The plants were grown in Fe (-) (0 µmol Fe) and Fe (+) (100 µmol Fe) nutrient culture and several variables were measured. The variables evaluated included symptom severity, SPAD values, shoot and root weight, Fe-reductase activity, shoot and root Fe content, Fe concentration and the pH value of the media. The results indicated that the most important factors affecting the Fe deficiency in strawberry species were the Fe uptake and the Fereductase activity