@prefix vivo: . @prefix edm: . @prefix ns0: . @prefix dcterms: . @prefix skos: . vivo:departmentOrSchool "Science, Faculty of"@en, "Botany, Department of"@en ; edm:dataProvider "DSpace"@en ; ns0:degreeCampus "UBCV"@en ; dcterms:creator "Ritchie, Myles Houston"@en ; dcterms:issued "2011-11-03T18:25:39Z"@en, "1939"@en ; vivo:relatedDegree "Master of Science - MSc"@en ; ns0:degreeGrantor "University of British Columbia"@en ; dcterms:description "[No abstract available]"@en ; edm:aggregatedCHO "https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/38690?expand=metadata"@en ; skos:note "NUTRITIONAL STUDIES WITH STRAWBERRIES AND THS BREAKDOWN OF THE STRAWBERRY IE CANEIEG. by I t y l es Hous ton R i t c h i e ^ B . S . A . t B.A. An essay submitted, f o r the degree o f MASTER OP SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE i n the department THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA A f e r i l , 1939, TABLE OF,COSTENTS * .1 Page Acknowledgement ~ ..- I I n t r o d u c t i o n • — — — — 2 Rev iew of L i t e r a t u r e ' — - - —«• -• 4 Ob jec t — — — — — .-77 M a t e r i a l - - - » — .- — — 7 Method — — 13 R e s u l t s (a) Gene ra l Appearance : — - 15 .(b) Runner P r o d u c t i o n - - — - — « .. 18 (c ) A n a l y s i s of S o i l and F r u i t - — — » : . 22 D i s c u s s i o n (a) Genera l Appearance - — 26 (b) Runner P r o d u c t i o n - - - » - . — - - . — — - - - . . - 31 (c) A n a l y s i s o f S o i l and F r u i t — , 33 Suromary — - — » — — - — „ « , -• 35 Recommendations — - — - - - - - - - - « - - * - » • - - . - - - » - . . . - 37 L i t e r a t u r e C i t ed , ---*> — - — . . « . * . . . . . - . . . . . . . . , . , * . . . , . . . . . . . 38 The writer w i shes to thank D r . G . Howell Harris, Associate Professor of H o r t i c u l t u r e , under whose direction this Yfork was carried on, for his kind supervision aad v a l u a b l e assistance in outlining the investigation, carry-ing out the laboratory work, and in the preparation of this essay. Acknowledgment is also g i v e n to D r . A , 3?» B a r s s , Professor of' Horticulture, fox- the kindly interest and helpful advice given during the progress of this work. Also- to Mr. Ha r r y Pearson of Bro&er Canning Company Limited, Hew Westminster, B.C., for supplying strawberries for this experiment® NUTRITIONAL STUDIES WITH STRAWBERRIES AND THE BREAKDOWN OF' THE STRAWBERRY.-1H CANNING\". In t rodcuc t i on The e a r l i e s t r e co r ded exper iments w i t h water c u l t u r e s were c a r r i e d out by Woodward in. 1699. He grew p l a n t s i n r i v e r , , s p r i n g , , r a i n , and d i s t i l l e d wate r to de -te rm ine whether i t was the water or the s o l i d p a r t i c l e s o f the s o i l wh ich nou r i s hed the p l a n t s . Around 1835 L e i b i g , . the German s c i e n t i s t found tha t a l l p l a n t s used c e r t a i n e lements such as oxygen, n i t r o g e n , ca rbon , phosphorus , and po t a s s i um . Based on - h i s f i n d i n g s he propounded the Law of the Minimum i n 1843. The law wh i ch i s fundamenta l i n P l a n t N u t r i t i o n i s commonly s t a t e d a s , \"The y i e l d of any crop a lways depends on t ha t n u t r i t i v e c o n s t i t u e n t wh ich i s p r e sen t i n the minimum amount, the s o i l i s r ende red b a r r e n f o r a l l those c rops to whichL . th i s c o n s t i t u e n t i s i n d i s p e n s a b l e , M ; i • EB11owing up on l e i b i g ' s work, G i l b e r t and Lawes con f i rmed h i s s t a tements a t Rothamstead, Eng l and . Knop, about the m idd l e o f the n i n e t e en t h c en tu r y , showed tha t o the r e lements were necessa ry be s i d e s those demonst ra ted by L e i b i g and, i n 1865 he brought f o r th , h i s f o rmu l a f o r a water s o l u t i o n of s a l t s t ha t would suppor t the l i f e o f a p l a n t . Th i s s o l u t i o n has not been improved upon and i s s t i l l used today . Sacchs i n I860 , p u b l i s h e d the f i r s t s t anda rd f o rmu l a f o r a c u l t u r e s o l u t i o n f o r p l a n t s . F o l l o w i n g the success i n t h i s f i e l d of p h y s i o -l o g y , a l a r g e number of worke rs tu rned t h e i r a t t e n t i o n to t h i s p rob l em, and we f i n d a l a r g e number o f d i f f e r e n t nu t -r i e n t s o l u t i o n s deve l oped , o u t s t a n d i n g o f wh i ch were T o t t i n g , ham's i n 1914; Sh i v ee i n 1915, and Hoag lands i n 1920. L i v i n g s t o n e around 1900 worked w i t h the the p h y s i c a l c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f these n u t r i e n t s o l u t i o n s , s t u d y i n g t h e i r r e l a t i o n to p l a n t g rowth , e s p e c i a l l y n o t i n g the unequa l a b s o r p t i o n o f i on s o f s a l t wh ich gave a marked e f f e c t on the n u t r i e n t s o l u t i o n . P r e s en t day work d ea l s c h i e f l y w i t h the e l e -ments the p l a n t t akes f rom the s o i l and these have been de te rm ined v e r y a c c u r a t e l y . Those r e q u i r e d i n l a r g e r quant -i t i e s a r e c a l c i u m , n i t r o genp phosrbiorus, and po tass ium^ and \\ those i n s m a l l e r q u a n t i t i e s a r e aluminimuin, i r o n , magnesium,, manganese, and s u l p h u r . There a r e p r obab l y two o the r m i c r o -chem i ca l e lements tha t shou l d be added to the l i s t , namely boron and z i n c , , wh ich may be r e q u i r e d i n v e r y s m a l l amounts. These n u t r i e n t s a re a v a i l a b l e to the p l a n t when i n s o l u t i o n but i n any o the r c o n d i t i o n the p l a n t w i l l not t o l e r a t them. There a r e many f a c t o r s t ha t i n f l u e n c e the a v a i l a b i l i t y o f these e lements t o the p l a n t . T h i s paper w i l l d e a l w i t h the e f f e c t s o f de-f i c i e n c i e s and excesses o f these e lements i n r e l a t i o n to the s t r awbe r r y p l a n t and to the breakdown of some s t r a w b e r r i e when canned„ Rev iew o f L i t e r a t u r e C o n s i d e r a b l e work has been done on the e f f e c t o f n i t r o g e n as a f e r t i l i z e r on s t r awbe r r i e s , , White wo r k i ng i n Hew J e r s e y showed t h a t n i t r o g e n f e r t i l i z a t i o n i n c r e a s e d the y i e l d , r e s u l t i n g f rom an i n c r e a s e i n s i z e o f the f r u i t and not the f r u i t number ( 1 9 ) 0 Woburn E x p e r i m e n t a l Farms i n Eng land found tha t a heavy a p p l i c a t i o n o f l i q u i d manure l e ad to a r e t a r d i n g i n f l u e n c e on the r i p e n i n g o f the f r u i t , but o t he rw i s e had no e f f e c t on the c rop ( I) . Chand le r i n M i s s o u r i found tha t n i t r o g e n e i t h e r as n i t r a t e o f soda or b l ood meal a p p l i e d i n the s p r i n g be f o r e the c ron was h a r v e s t ed gave i n j u r i o u s r e s u l t s , c au s i ng excess weed growth and reduced c rop ( 3 ) . Love wo rk i ng a t M i c h i g an conc luded tha t n i t r o g e n has been the c h i e f l i m i t i n g e l emen t , b e i n g an impor t ant f a c t o r i n p romo t i ng v e g e t a t i v e growth e s p e c i a l l y a t the t ime o f f r u i t bud d i f f e r e n t i a t i o n . Wi th a l i m i t e d s u r e l y o f n i t r o g e n the r o o t s a r e l a r g e i n compar i son to the tops (|2.). D a v i s and H i l l s t a t e d tha t the n i t r o g e n d e f i c i e n t and the n i t r o g e n l a c k i n g s e r i e s began to e x h i b i t ev i dencesod f l a c k o f t h i s element by the e a r l y f a l l i n t h e i r s m a l l e r s i z e and p a l e r l e a v e s ( i f ) . F u r t h e r work by Dav i s and H i l l showed tha t i n g e n e r a l , r e l a t i v e excess a c c u m u l a t i o n o f n i t r o g e n i s ev idenced by abno rma l l y da rk f o l i a g e , w i t h a d i s t i n c t tendency to c u r l upwards and f r e q u e n t l y accompanied by a b r on z i n g and p u r p l i n g o f the o l d e r l e a ve s {(D). Lo ree a t M i c h i g a n found tha t a s p r i n g a p p l i c a t i o n o f n i t r o g e n a l one or i n comb ina t i on w i t h phosphorus and po t a sh caused a v i g -orous runner growth but w i t h equa l amountsoof the same nu t -r i e n t s a p p l i e d d u r i n g the summer few runne r s were produced * ; Dav i s and H i l l found tha t p l a n t s l a c k i n g i n po t a s s i um e x h i b i t e d f o l i a g e o f a da r k green c o l o r w e l l i n t o the f r u i t i n g season , but the p l a n t s were not as l a r g e or as v i g o r o u s as the f u l l n u t r i e n t p l a n t s , f i n a l l y the l e ave s c u r l e d and t u r ned a pu r p l e c o l o r (.5 ) . They a l s o found tha t , w i t h an excess o f po t a s s i um t he r e was l i t t l e d i f f e r e n c e f rom the f u l l n u t r i e n t s o l u t i o n p l a n t s , except f o r a s l i g h t l y da r ke r c o l o r i n the f o l i a g e and a l i t t l e more v i g o r ou s appea r -ance ( 7 ) . L a t i m e r and Wentworth showed tha t when sodium n i t r a t e and po t a s s i um c h l o r i d e were a p p l i e d b e f o r e the p l a n t s were s e t , the y i e l d was reduced due to the dea th o f a few pa ren t p l a n t s and a low p r o d u c t i o n o f r unne r s ( U K Lo ree s t a t e d t ha t phosphorus a l one a p p a r e n t l y had no e f f e c t on v e g e t a t i v e g rowth , but i n combimat ion w i t h n i t r o g e n i t promoted a l a r g e r v e g e t a t i v e growth {XT.). D a v i s and H i l l p o i n t e d out t ha t p l a n t s l a c k i n g i n phosphorus had da r k d u l l g reen l e a v e s wh i ch were s m a l l i n s i z e and had sho r t p e t i o l e s and by the end o f the season e x h i b i t e d r edd i sh -b rown t i n t s and w i t h an ex ces s o f phosphorus the f o l i a g e was v i g o r -ous but l i g h t e r i n c o l o r than the no rma l 8 c u r l i n g a f t e r the f r u i t i n g season , f i n a l l y t u r n i n g r ed i n c o l o r ( i f ) , L a t ime r and Wentworth s t a t e d t ha t a p p l i c a t i o n s o f phosphorus have never p roven harrafu l i .and t h e r e i s s l i g h t ev i dence tha t i n comb ina t i on w i t h n i t r o g e n and manures a s m a l l b e n e f i t may occur ( t l ) . Waltman wo r k i ng w i t h optimum pH v a l u e s f o r the growth o f s t r a w b e r r i e s conc luded t h a t they r e q u i r e a r e l a t -i v e l y l a r g e amount o f phosphorus and t ha t the r e a c t i o n o f the s o i l may i n f l u e n c e m a t e r i a l l y the a v a i l a b i l i t y o f t h i s e lement and t h a t i t appea r s t ha t an a c i d r e a c t i o n i s f a v o r a b l e to the u t i l i z a t i o n o f phosphorus by the p l a n t s (Vo ) . D a v i s and H i l l found t ha t an excess c a l c i u m • caused the p l a n t s to be da r k d u l l g reen c o l o r , accompanied w i t h a l a c k o f v i g o r , wh i ch was f o l l o w e d i n the e a r l y f a l l , by a p u r p l i n g o f the o l d e r l e a v e s . The c o n d i t i o n i n t h i s case r e s emb l i n g the symptons f o r low po ta s s i um and low phosphorus . The d e f i c i e n t c a l c i u m s e r i e s d i s p l a y e d e x c e p t i o n a l v i g o r , h a v i n g l a r g e l e a v e s , l o n g p e t i o l e s and no t i n t s ( 7 ) „ Wa l t -man s t a t e d t ha t a p p l i c a t i o n of l ime to the l a nd be fo r e s e t t i n g out o f s t r a w b e r r y p l a n t s does not seem to be j u s t i f i e d , s i n c e the r e s u l t s i n d i c a t e l i m i n g may be h a rm f u l u n l e s s the i n i t i a l r e a c t i o n o f the s o i l i s so a c i d t ha t the p l a n t s cannot grow D a v i s and H i l l found t ha t the s e r i e s d e f i c i e n t i n su l phu r d i s p l a y e d g r e a t e r v i g o r than any o the r s e r i e s they t r i e d , w i t h ou t showing f o l i a g e t i n t s ( 7 ) , M o r r i s and C r i s t conc luded t ha t the optimum pH i n wa te r c u l t u r e s f o r s t r a w b e r r y p l a n t s was between 5,7 and 6.0Q In the more a c i d s o i l s i r o n i s more a v a i l a b l e to the p l a n t ' (Uh) . Sh-oemaker and G r i e v e , i n Oh io have shown t ha t t he re i s no d e f i n i t e r e l a t i o n between n i t r o g e n f e r t i l i z a t i o n and the f i rmne s s of the s t r a w b e r r y . They found tha t s t r aw -b e r r i e s ob t a i ned f rom f i e l d s t ha t had a s p r i n g a p p l i c a t i o n o f n i t r o g e n f e r t i l i z e r v/ere s l i g h t l y s o f t e r t han those from t h e i r check p l o t s , but tha t the pe rcen tage of s t r a w b e r r i e s sh ipped a d i s t a n c e o f 100 m i l e s , d i d not show s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e s i n sound c o n d i t i o n between the f r u i t o f f e r t i l i z e d and un -f e r t i l i z e d p l o t s . They found tha t mo i s t u r e contend was not c o n s i s t e n t between the b e r r i e s f rom f e r t i l i s e d and u n f e r t i l i z e d p l o t s . They found tha t the t o t a l y i e l d was not i n c r e a s e d by n i t r o g e n f e r t i l i z a t i o n i n the e a r l y s p r i n g o f the f r u i t i n g yea r , even though the re was a h i g h e r n i t r o g e n con ten t i n the b e r r y , but t ha t f e r t i l i z e r a p p l i e d i n the AuguEt p r i o r to the f r u i t i n g seaso n gave a marked i n c r e a s e i n the y i e l d . The pH o f the j u i c e o f the b e r r i e s from the check p l o t s was lower than tha t f rom the n i t r o g e n p l o t s{i ( o ) # Ob^^ejit . The o b j e c t s o f t h i s paper a r e : I „ To d e s c r i b e the v a r i o u s e x t e r n a l symptons produced by excesses and d e f i c i e n c i e s o f the v a r i o u s e s s e n t i a l e lements i n s t r a w b e r r i e s , 2. To a s c e r t a i n wh ich e lements promote runne r p r o d u c t i o n . 3. To de te rm ine the e f f e c t o f excesses and d e f i c i e n c i e s o f m i n e r a l n u t r i e n t s on the breakdown i n the cann ing o f s t r aw -b e r r i e s , 4 . To f i n d out the type o f f e r t i l i z e r be s t s u i t e d f o r grow-i n g s t r a w b e r r i e s f o r canning pu rpo se s . M a t e r i a l s On June I 1937, f o r t y - f i v e un i f o rm s i z e d s t r aw -be r r y p l a n t s o f the v a r i e t y B r i t i s h S o v e r e i g n were s e l e c t e d from the s t o c k f rom the U n i v e r s i t y of B r i t i s h Co lumbia f a rm . The r o o t s were c a r e f u l l y washed i n o rder to remove any s o i l or f o r e i g n ma t t e r t ha t was adhe r i n g to the r o o t s . Each p l a n t was po t t e d i n an e i g h t i n ch pot t ha t had been f i l l e d w i t h f i r e washed sand . The f o r t y - f i v e po t s were d i v i d e d i n t o f i f t e e n s e r i e s o f t h ree po t s each on wh ich the f o l l o w i n g ex-pe r imen t s were c a r r i e d out ; — Ser ies- I - Complete n u t r i e n t . S e r i e s 2 - K i t r ogen d e f i c i e n t . S e r i e s 3 - Phosphorus d e f i c i e n t . S e r i e s 4 - Po tass ium d e f i c i e n t . S e r i e s 5 - Ca l c i um d e f i c i e n t . S e r i e s 6 - Su l pha te d e f i c i e n t . S e r i e s 7 - Complete n u t r i e n t p l u s an excess o f n i t r o g e n . S e r i e s 8 - Complete n u t r i e n t p l u s an excess o f phosphorus . S e r i e s 9 - Complete n u t r i e n t p l u s an excess o f p o t a s s i um . S e r i e s 10 - Complete n u t r i e n t p l u s an excess o f c a l c i um . S e r i e s I I - Complete n u t r i e n t r>lus a n excess o f bo ron , z i n c and manganese S e r i e s 12 - Complete n u t r i e n t p l u s an excess of bo ron . S e r i e s 13 - Complete n u t r i e n t p l u s an excess o f manganese. S e r i e s 14 - Complete n u t r i e n t p l u s an excess o f z i n c . S e r i e s 15 - Complete n u t r i e n t p l u s an exces s o f i r o n . 2 B po t s were sur rounded w i t h sawdust to p reven t any a b s o r p t i o n or passage o f m i n e r a l n u r i e n t s f rom the a d -j o i n i n g s o i l . The p l a n t s were p r o t e c t e d f rom e x c e s s i v e sun -l i g h t by a l a t t i c e s h e l t e r . N u t r i e n t s o l u t i o n s were a p p l i e d to the v a r i o u s s e r i e s as shown i n t a b l e I , page 10, each p l a n t r e c e i v i n g 400 c c s . o f s o l u t i o n . To eve r y f ou r l i t r e s of n u t r i e n t s o l u t i o n 2 c c s , o f a one pe r c en t f e r r i c c i t r a t e s o l u t i o n was added. P l a n t s were watered w i t h d i s t i l l e d water throughout the expe r imen t . Prom June 5 to Oc tober 30 the p l a n t s were g i v e n the n u t r i e n t s o l u t i o n s tw i c e ® week on Tuesdays and F r i d a y s , on the o the r days the p l a n t s were watered w i t h d i s -t i l l e d wa te r , i f r e q u i r e d . On the t w e n t y - e i g h t h o f each month the po t s were l ea ched by means o f an excess w a t e r i n g to remove the m i n e r a l e lements t ha t had accumu la ted around the r o o t s p r e v e n t i n g maximum abso rp t i on , , A l l l e a v e s t ha t had w i t h e r e d were removed f rom the p l a n t so t ha t l e a f development would not be impeded or p l a n t d i s e a s e s i n t r o d u c e d . The r unne r s were a l l o w e d to grow i n o rde r to note the e f f e c t o f the v a r i o u s m i n e r a l e lements on runner g rowth . Pho tog raphs o f the p l a n t s were t aken on Oc tober 8 f f l The f r u i t samples used i n the second pa r t o f the exper iment were ob t a i n ed d u r i n g the months o f June and J u l y by Broder Cann ing Company L i m i t e d and were canned i n d u p l i c a t e , one se t a t t h e i r p l a n t i n Eew W e s t m i n s t e r . B . C . , and the o the r a t the U n i v e r s i t y o f B r i t i s h Co lumb ia . The reason f o r do i ng two s e t s o f samples b e i n g to de te rm ine whet -he r the cann ing p r o ce s s used by the f i r m or whether the excess or d e f i c i e n c y o f m i n e r a l n u t r i e n t s was a f f e c t i n g the f i r m n e s s o f the b e r r i e s when canned„ -10-cc-- \\ ? £ 3 u _ l U-i U -H cc 1-The samples were taken from the f i e l d s o f the f o l l o w i n g growers and s e r i a l numbers a s s i g n e d . PYA2 and PYA2A A . Uno S t r awbe r r y H i l l , B . C PYA3 and PYA3A . c. H i k i t a Hewton .B .C . . PYA4 and PYA4A c. Tsumura S u r r e y , B . C . , PYA5 and PYA5A T. Sunada South P o r t Mann,B.C PYA6 and PYA6A T . H i r o s e South P o r t Mann,B.C PYA7 and PYA7A A . Tak i da A l d e r g r o v e , B , C . 4 PYA8 s. Gr i c e Green T i m b e r s , B . C . , PYA9 P . S e v i l l e Green T imbers , B . C . . PYAIO s . Semolenko Green T i m b e r s , B . C . . S o i l samples were a l s o taken from each of these f a rms , s e v e r a l samples b e i n g taken f rom the f i e l d and m i xed , then a r e p r e s e n t a t i v e sample o f about t h r ee k i l o g r ams t a k e n . The l e n g t h o f c u l t i v a t i o n o f the l a n d , the age of the p l a n t s and the f e r t i l i z e r s used by the d i f f e r e n t f r u i t growers a r e •? shown i n Tab le 2, page 12 , - 1 2 -TABLE 2. GROWING CONDITIONS OF STRAWBERRIES USED FOR CANNING. Sample No, Age o f Land Age o f P l a n t s F e r t i l i z e r s Used P YA2 6 y r s II y r Ch i c ken manure, 3 - 10 -8 . PYA2A I I F i s h mea l , 3 - 10 -8 . PYA3 . \" ' 5 . ' 3 Ch i c ken manure, 3 -10 -8 , 100 l b s tankage per a c r e PYA3A I ' I 100 l b s 3 -10-8 per a c r e . PYA4 *. 6 2 Ch i c ken manure l i g h t l y T r i a n g l e B f e r t i l i z e r / PYA4A • I 1 T r i a n g l e B f e r t i l i z e r . PYA5 7 4 Ch i c ken manure, Bone & F i s h M e a l , P o t a s h , Supe r -phosphate PYA5A. 1 ' Po t a sh , Superphosphate , 5-1.0*12. .;'•> • • .• PYA6 5 5 Bone & F i s h Mea l , P o t a sh , Superphospha te . PYA6A •i Bone & F i s h M e a l , 3 - I 0 - I 0 , Superpho ephat e„ PYA7 8 3 700 l b s 4 - I 0 - I 0 vsv a c r e . -. PYA7A ' I: I I 400 l b s 4 - I 0 - I 0 per a c r e . PYA8 I I 400 l b s 4 - I 0 - I 0 per a c r e PYA9 2 600 l b s g -10 -8 per a c r e . PYAIO 3 2 500 l b s 4 - I 0 - I 0 per a c r e . Methods The f r u i t samples canned a t the U n i v e r s i t y of B r i t i s h Co lumbia were a n a l y s e d f o r t i t r a t a b l e a c i d i t y , suga r s , s t a r c h , p r o t e i n and m i n e r a l e l emen t s . Fo r a n a l y s i s the f r u i t sample was d i v i d e d i n t o two p o r t i o n s , one f o r e x t r a c t i o n o f suga rs and the o the r f o r d r y we igh t de t e rm ina t i on s , , The sugars were e x t r a c t e d f rom the f i r s t sample by the use o f a S o x h l e t e x t r a c t o r , u s i n g a l c o h o l as the ex-t r a c t i n g f l u i d . The e x t r a c t was d i s t i l l e d to d r i v e o f f a l l the a l c o h o l , and the t i t r a t a b l e a c i d i t y was dete rmined by t a k i n g a p o r t i o n o f t h i s s o l u t i o n , the r e s u l t b e i n g expressed as the number o f c c s , o f a . I E HC1 s o l u t i o n per 100 grams o f f r u i t . The r e d u c i n g suga r s were de te rm ined by the use o f Fehling's S o l u t i o n , the method o f Lane and JSynon ( 10). Then the t o t a l sugar was de te rm ined by h y d r o l y s i n g the sugars w i t h c i t r i c a c i d . The d i f f e r e n c e of these two sugar d e t e rm i na t i o n s g i v i n g the amount o f s u c r o s e . The r e s i d u e f rom the Soxh l e t e x t r a c t i o n was used f o r the d e t e r m i n a t i o n o f s t a r c h . The method employed was tha t o f a c i d h y d r o l y s i s , the s t a r c h b e i n g conve r t ed to g l u c o s e and determined by the Lane and Eynon method. The second sample was d r i e d i n an e l e c t r i c oven a t 75°C u n t i l the water was e n t i r e l y d r i v e n o f f and weighed to a cons tan t w e i g h t . The n i t r o g e n was dete rmined by the K y e l d a h l method ( 9 ) . Another p o r t i o n was taken f o r the phosphorus d e t e r m i n a t i o n by Bragg's Method The remainder of the d r i e d sample was p l a c e d i n the e l e c t r i c f u r na ce and i n c i n e r a t e d , the ash ob ta i ned brought i n t o s o l u t i o n w i t h h y d r o c h l o r i c a c i d and t h i s s o l u t -i o n was then used f o r the d i f f e r e n t m i n e r a l d e t e r m i n a t i o n s , K r a m e r - T i s d a l Method f o r po t a s s i um was used w i t h the mod i f -i c a t i o n tha t a c e n t r i f u g e was used to s e t t l e the p r e c i p i t a t e and the p r e c i p i t a t e was read i n the c e n t r i f u g e tubes ( ) . Magnesium and c a l c i u m were de te rm ined by the McCance and S h i pp method (Al). -F r u i t samples f rom the v a r i o u s growers were canned under the f o l l o w i n g c o n d i t i o n s ; A t B roder Cann ing Company L i m i t e d , Eew West-m i n s t e r , B .C . , the b e r r i e s were packed i n t i n s , cooked a t a p r e s su r e o f f i f t e e n atmospheres f o r t h i r t y m inu te s , i n a s y -r up wh i ch was f i f t y - f i v e pe r c en t suga r , A t the U n i v e r s i t y o f B r i t i s h Co lumb ia , the b e r r i e s were packed i n g l a s s s e a l e r s , cooked a t a p r e s su r e o f twe l ve atmospheres f o r t w e n t y - f i v e m inu te s , to one se t no sy rup was added, s i n c e these b e r r i e s were to be used f o r a n a l y s i s , to the o the r se t a f i f t y pe r cen t sugar sy rup was added . The samples packed i n the sugar sy rups were opened and the b e r r i e s c l a s s i f i e d a c c o r d i n g to t h e i r f i r m -ness i n t o th ree g roups , f i rm^ s o f t and decomposed, a l s o the c l a r i t y of the sy rup was ob se r ved . The c o n d i t i o n o f the b e r r y was de te rm ined by p i c k i n g the b e r r y up between the thumb and f o r e f i n g e r and a p p l y i n g p r e s s u r e . The b e r r i e s were counted, c l a s s i f i e d and the r e s u l t s o f the two s e t s compared. > The s o i l samples were ana l y s ed by the r a p i d method o f C.H.Spurway ({\"]}, The t e s t s employed i n t h i s meth od were s e n s i t i v e enough to make comparable approx imate d i f f e r e n c e s i n q u a n t i t i e s o f a v a i l a b l e n u t r i e n t s i n the s o i l R e s u l t s Gene ra l Appearances, o f P l a n t s , The. symptons o f l a c k o f v i g o r o f c e r t a i n p l a n t and excess o f f o l i a g e o f o t he r s can be a s s o c i a t e d w i t h the n u t r i e n t s f e d to the p l a n t s . The c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f each group a r e l i s t e d be l ow . S e r i e s I . {> complete n u t r i e n t ) showed f o l i a g e wh i ch was v i g o r o u s and o f a r i c h g reen c o l o r th roughout the e n t i r e g row ing season showing that t he re were no m i n e r a l s l a c k i n g , ( p l a t e I , page A ) S e r i e s 2 . ( n i t r o g e n d e f i c i e n t ) was marked by a dwa r f i n g o f tfce l e a v e s , wh i ch were o f a l i g h t g r e e n i s h - y e l l o w co l o r , du r -i n g the e a r l y summer l a t e r becoming a b r i g h t r e dd i s h - b r own , ( p l a t e 2, page A ) S e r i e s 3. ( phosphorus d e f i c i e n t ) was c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the dwa r f i n g o f the f o l i a g e , The l e a v e s were s t un t ed and o f a d a r k g reen c o l o r . The v i t a l i t y and growth o f the p l a n t de -c reased r a p i d l y d u r i n g the e a r l y p a r t o f J u l y and by the m i dd l e o f August the p l a n t s were v e r y sma l l h a v i n g on l y two or t h ree l e a v e s per p lant , , ( p l a t e 3, page A ) S e r i e s 4 . ( po t a s s i um d e f i c i e n t ) showed normal s i z e d l e a ve s t ha t were v e r y d u l l i n c o l o r l a c k i n g b r i g h t n e s s . The marg ins o f these l e a v e s were l o ng and t h i n . ( p l a t e IV , page B ) S e r i e s 5, ( c a l c i u m d e f i c i e n t ) e x h i b i t e d e x c e p t i o n a l v i g o r w i t h l a r g e l e a v e s w i t h l o ng stems and were of a b r i g h t green color- , \\ The p l a n t s were f r e e f rom b l o t c h e s or d i s c o l o r a t i o n s when the l e a v e s d i e d . The p l a n t s e x h i b i t e d e x c e p t i o n a l l y good growth f o r the e n t i r e g row ing sea son . The p e t i o l e s were t h i c k , ( p l a t e V,; page B ) S e r i e s 6, ( s u l p ha t e d e f i c i e n t ) d i s p l a y e d e x c e p t i o n a l l y v i g -orous growth as w e l l as b e i n g o f a v e r y b r i g h t g reen c o l o r . The l e a ve s were much l a r g e r than those on the complete nu t -r i e n t p l a n t s and the p e t i o l e s were l o n g and t h i c k . ( p l a t e V I , page B ) S e r i e s 7 ( excess n i t r o g e n ) l ooked v e r y s i m i l a r to the com-p l e t e n u t r i e n t s e r i e s except tha t the f o l i a g e was o f a deeper g reen c o l o r . The p e t i o l e s were t h i n n e r than i n the com-plete n u t r i e n t s e r i e s but o t he rw i s e the l e a v e s were o f the same s i z e , ( p l a t e VII , page C ) S e r i e s 8 0 excess phosphorus ) grew to be the l a r g e s t p l a n t s i n any s e r i e s , b e i n g c h a r a c t e r i z e d b y an abundance o f v e r y l a r g e l e a v e s . The l e a v e s were v e r y b r i g h t g reen i n c o l o r d u r i n g J u l y and August t u r n i n g t o a r e d d i s h - p u r p l e i n l a t e September, T h i s s e r i e s p roduced more l e a ve s per p l a n t than any o the r s e r i e s , ( p l a t e V I I I , page C ) S e r i e s 9 ( excess po ta s s i um ) was c h a r a c t e r i z e d by l e ave s wh i ch were o f a d u l l g reen c o l o r , chang ing to red i n the f a l l . The p e t i o l e s were l a r g e r then u s u a l but the i n d i v i d u a l l e a f l e t were s m a l l e r i n p r o p o r t i o n . The whole l e a f b e i ng somewhat l a r g e r than those found i n the complete n u t r i e n t s e r i e s . ( p l a t e IX , page C ) -17 S e r i e s 10, ( excess c a l c i um ) produced dwarfed p l a n t s wh ich had l e a ve s o f a d u l l da r k green c o l o r . The l e a ve s tu rned \"brown v e r y e a s i l y , someth ing wh ich d i d not occur i n any o the r s e r i e s . The p e t i o l e s were v e r y s ho r t i n p r o p o r t i o n to the r e s t o f the l e a f , ( p l a t e X, page D ) S e r i e s I I . ( excess bo ron , manganese and z i n c ) l ooked ve r y s i c k l y due p o s s i b l y to too g r ea t an excess o f these s a l t s b e i ng added . The p l a n t s were dwar fed and the l e ave s a d u l l g reen i n c o l o r . The p e t i o l e s were s h o r t . ( p l a t e XI, page D ) S e r i e s 12 . ( excess boron ) r r oduced l e a ve s wh ich were a l i t t l e s m a l l e r than those found i n the complete n u t r i e n t s e r i e s . The l e a ve s were b r i g h t green i n c o l o r r ema in i ng tha t way throughout the e n t i r e g row ing sea son . ( p l a t e XII, page I) ) S e r i e s 13 . ( excess manganese ) produced p l a n t s o f normal s i z e c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the l e a f l e t s b e i n g v e r y s m a l l and the p e t i o l e s ve ry t h i n . The l e a ve s were o f a b r i g h t green c o l o r d u r i n g the e n t i r e g row ing season , ( p l a t e X I I I , page JB ) S e r i e s 14 . ( excess z i n c ) was a most i n t e r e s t i n g s e r i e s i n tha t i t produced ve r y s t u r d y p l a n t s , w i t h l e a ve s much l a r g e r than those found i n the complete n u t r i e n t s e r i e s . The l e ave s were ve r y broad and the p e t i o l e s ve r y t h i c k but sho r t i n p r o p o r t i o n to the s i z e o f the l e a f l e t s compared to those found i n the o the r s e r i e s . ( p l a t e XIV, page E ) S e r i e s 15 . ( excess i r o n ) -produced p l a n t s a lmost i d e n t i c a l to those grown i n the complete n u t r i e n t s e r i e s . The l e ave s were o f a b r i g h t g reen c o l o r and ma i n t a i n ed t h i s c o n d i t i o n throughout the g row ing season . ( p l a t e XV, page S ) Compar isons of the v a r i o u s s e r i e s w i t h the com-p l e t e n u t r i e n t s e r i e s a r e shown i n f i g u r e s I to 9, pages 19, 20,and 21 . B a Runner P r o d u c t i o n . The e f f e c t of the v a r i o u s t rea tments on runner p r o d u c t i o n i s shown i n t a b l e 3 be l ow . P i c t u r e s of the runner p r o d u c t i o n o f the d i f f e r e n t s e r i e s a r e shown i n p l a t e s ' X V I to XIX, i n c l u s i v e , pages F and G, TABLE 3. SHOWING HUNKER PRODUCTION IN RELATION TO TREATMENT S e r i e s Pot No. No. o f r unne r s Date o f Appearance S l a n t super runner 1s t 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd Complete I . .'• I • '. J u l y 26 2 N u t r i e n t 2 .••-I J u l y 26 2 S o l u t i o n 3 ;,i J u l y 28 2 Exces s I • ' • 3 J u l y 6 J u l y 8 J u l .8 .3 3 3 ••\" Phosphorus 2 3 J u l y 5 J u l y 7 J u l . 7 . 3 3 S o l u t i o n 3 ' . 3 J u l y 10 J u l y 7 [ J u l .7 3 > 3. Exces s I J u l y 20 J u l , 2 9 2 2 Po t a s s i um 2 . • 2 '•' J u l y 22 J u l . 2 6 2 2 S o l u t i o n 3 J u l y 22 Aug, I --' ! . 2 Ca l c i um I I I Aug . 8 I D e f i c i e n t i • Aug.4 I S o l u t i o n 3 I Aug . 5 I -21-- 2 2 -C. A n a l y s i s of S o i l and F r u i t . The r e s u l t s ob t a i ned from the r a p i d Spurway me thod ' o f s o i l a n a l y s i s a r e shown i n t a b l e 4, page 23, The f i rmnes s o f the s t r a w b e r r i e s canned by B roder Cann ing Company L i m i t e d and at the U n i v e r s i t y o f B r i t -i s h Co lumbia a r e shown i n t a b l e 5, page 24„ The b e r r i e s can-ned a t the U n i v e r s i t y o f B r i t i s h Co lumbia gave s l i g h t l y b e t t e r r e s u l t s . T h i s may have been due to the f a c t t ha t the b e r r i e s can red a t the U n i v e r s i t y o f B r i t i s h Columbia were done i n g l a s s c o n t a i n e r s or tha t the cook i ng t ime and cook i ng p r e s s u r e were l owe r . . The complete a n a l y s i s o f the s t r a w b e r r i e s can* ned a t the U n i v e r s i t y o f B r i t i s h Co lumb ia , i s shown i n t a b l e 6, page 25, - 2 3 -TABLE 4', RAPID SOIL ANALYSIS OE VARIOUS AVAILABLE HJTRIBKTS Sample No, M i n e r a l E lements and R a d i c l e s i n p ,p ,m t • N0 3 P K Ca Mg Pe A l CI s o 4 N 0 2 Mn PYA2 4 2 i 20 50 5 I 0 0 0 10 0 0 PYA2A 8 2 15 40 6 2 0 10 0 1 2 0 0 PYA3 40 2 35 40 5 8 0 20 0 25 0 0 PYA3A 25 15 30 I 10 2 15 \" Or 2 Of- 0 PYA4 25 n 2 2 40 2 8 I 20 0 2 0 0 PYA4A 20 i 22 40 7 8 0 40 0 5 0 0 PYA5 if- 25 40 I 4 3 20 0 3 0 0 PYA5A- 2 2 2 25 40 8 2 0 30 0 25 0 0 PYA6S- 10 l i 15 30 7 2 I 50 0 20 0 0 PYA6A 25 i i 10 30 I 4 0 0 10 5 0 0 PYA7 25 i i 25 100 9 I I 50 0 20 0 0 PYA7A 50 44 25 100 9 2 3 35 0 5 0 0 PYA8 4 - Xi 25 30 2 I 3 20 0 8 0 0 PYA9 2 i 25 30 6 I I 50 10 5 0 0 PYAIO 40 1 30 i 40 7 2 0 60 10 5 0 0 A - 2 4 -T A B L E 5 « I^gmg^._S^.!rRAWBBRRIBS CANNED BY BRODER CANTOS COMPANY LIMITED AND AT THE UNIVERSITY OF B.C. Sample No Brod er Cann ing C & . L t d . U n i v e r s i t y o f B.C. F i r m So f t Decomj 5 Syrup F i rm So f t Decorop Syrup PYA2 90,74 9.26 0 . 0 0 C l e a r 91,63 8.37 0 . 00 C l e a r • PYA2A 84,94 15.06 0.00 C l e a r 87 .32 12,68 0.00 C l e a r PYA3 '•. 53,84 26. 92 19.24 Cloudy ' 52.64 26.84 21 .52 j Cloudy PYA3A 68 .75 21.25 10,00 C loudy 71 .62 21.43 6.95 Cloudy PYA4 13,46 42,31 44 .23 Cloudy 14 .32 44.71 41,97 Cloudyj PYA4A 8.00 12.00 80.00 C loudy 8.16 10 .92 80 .92 1 C loudy PYA5 61.54 34.61 3.85 Cloudy- 60.46 33. 29 6.25 C loudy PYA5A 100.00 0.00 0.00 C l e a r 100.00 0,00 0.00 C l e a r PYA6 94, 64 3.57 ' 1.79 C l e a r 95.16 4.84 0.00 C l e a r PYA6A 63,16 23,69 13 .15 C loudy 65.16 22.96 11 .88 C loudy PYA7 0 .00 0.001 :oo,oo C loudy $.00 0.001 00,00 Cloudy-PYA7A 0 .00 5.66 94.34 C loudy 0 .00 7 .32 92.68 C loudy PYA8 •88.4.6 7.69 3.85 1 j C l e a r 88 .08 9 .72 2.20 C l e a r PYA9 5, 88 7.84 86.28 C loudy 7, 81 7.95 84. 24 C loudy PYAIO 0 ,00 14 .29 85.71 C loudy 0 .00 12.91 87,09 Gloudy N O T E : - \"The vJixloes {ov £>roAe< Catioiti£ Co U l weft oxrUvrved ^row sfcm'fWs Taken Uam -four - q at Can6. v o W s U«\\u/ers.\\V*j i>\\ iJ-C went atA&wetl r^orv, 9amV>Ve» ttnictn Span, 4 o ?? 0 r-w -T D -3 1\" 5 (» n 0 0-8 5-r-J -A \" X 5 s 3 r-~S >/> S \"3\" ~ i V> of y> ri I o c< O _» s o H o o->/> o £? 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-rO CC >-Ck. /r r o CC >-o-$ > \\ l n cr >-o-o: >-rx y p-'or cc r- 0 -cr -0 > 0--26 D i s c u s s i o n B E r e s u l t s o f t h i s exper iment i n d i c a t e tha t s t r a w b e r r i e s respond ve ry d e f i n i t e l y to t rea tment w i t h d i f f -e r en t m i n e r a l n u t r i e n t s o l u t i o n s , and t ha t n i t r o g e n and phos-phorus a re v e r y e s s e n t i a l . P l a n t s grown i n a d e f i c i e n t n i t r o g e n s o l u t i o n became ve r y s t un t ed soon a f t e r the t rea tment began s i n c e any r e s e r v e n i t r o g e n t ha t was i n the p l a n t was t i e d up i n such a way as to be u n a v a i l a b l e , b e i n g i n the fo rm o f p r o t e i n s i n the c e l l w a l l , i n enzymes, and i n a l l a c t i v e l y g row ing r>arts o f the p l a n t . On ly sma l l amounts o f t h i s n i t r o g e n can be conve r ted i n t o f ood by the p l a n t , t h e r e f o r e we have the l a c k o f l e a v e s and the s t un ted growth i n the n i t r o g e n d e f i c i e n t s e r i e s . The n i t r o g e n i s con ta i ned i n the p r o t ap l a sm eo any l a c k o f i t wou ld upse t the normal me t abo l i sm . A d e f i c i e n c y o f n i t r o g e n would i n t u r n a f f e c t the r e s p i r a t o r y p ro ce s se s and cause a c i d to be accumula ted i n the p l a n t s . An excess o f n i t r o g e n causes a n i n c r e a s e i n the v e g e t a t i v e g rowth , but at the same t ime reduces the r e p r odu c t -i v e ness o f . the p l a n t , hence we f i n d t h a t an excess o-r n i t r o g e n produces a rank g rowth . Th i s i s d e s i r a b l e f o r c rops l i k e l e t t u c e but not f o r s t a w b e r r i e s . There i s a ve ry d e f i n i t e r e l a t i o n s h i p between ca rbohyd ra t e s and n i t r o g e n as i s shown by the f a c t t ha t a d e f i c i e n c y o f c a rbohyd ra t e s and o f n i t r o g e n n e i t h e r gave excess f o l i a g e nor r ep roduced , whereas a n excess of n i t r a t e s over c a rbohyd ra t e s gave e x c e s s i v e growth but d i d not r ep roduce . Then as the ca rbohyd ra te s i n c r e a s e d the re was a p r o p o r t i o n a l i n c r e a s e i n the r e p r o d u c t i o n and a dec rease i n the g rowth , t h e r e f o r e a d e f i n i t e ba l ance must be ob ta i ned between ca rbohyd ra t e s and n i t r o g e n to o b t a i n the maximum g row th - a l ong w i t h the optimum f r u i t bud f o r m a t i o n . Phosphorus i s ano the r e lement t ha t shows d e f i c -i ency symptons ve r y e a r l y . The phosphorus becomes t i e d U P i n the p l a n t as r edu c t a s e enzymes and a o r g a n i c phosphorus compounds, wh ich when once produced y i e l d 3 i t t l e phosphorus , hence phosphorus b e i n g an e s s e n t i a l e lement , the p l a n t s show l a c k o f i t by be i ng dwar fed and s t u n t e d . T h i s s t u n t i n g i s due to improper c e l l d i v i s i o n wh ich i s connected w i t h the p h o s p h o l i p o i d s , The d e f i c i e n c y o f phosphorus a l s o reduces the amount o f the r educ t a se enzyme formed, wh i ch i n t u r n a c t s on the n i t r a t e i n the manufac tu re o f p r o t e i n s . A l a c k of t h i s enzyme causes a d i s i n t e g r a t i o n o f the p ro top l a sm and t h i s reduces the s i z e o f the p l a n t as w e l l s.s r e d u c i n g the ca rbohyd ra te c o n t e n t . An excess o f phosphorus i n c r e a s e d the v e g e t a t i v e growth due to the f o r m a t i o n o f the p h o s p h o l i p i d s , wh ich a i d e d the c e l l d i v i s i o n , a l s o the r educ t a se enzymes a re produced and they make more n i t r o g e n a v a i l a b l e f o r the f o r m a t i o n o f p r o t e i n s w i t h i n the p l a n t . D a v i s and H i l l found t ha t an excess o f phosphorus a l o ng w i t h an excess o f po tass i um b r i n g s about a h i g h e r y i e l d p but a low po ta s s i um con ten t w i t h a n excess o f phosphorus dec reases t h e ; , y i e l d . They a l s o found tha t the po tass i um fed to a p l a n t shou ld be th ree t imes the amount o f the phosphorus to o b t a i n maximum f r u i t bud forms. t ion (\"7 ). Lo ree s t a t e d tha t phosphorus a l o ne had no e f f e c t on growth ((£.). - 2 8 -T h e r e f o r e f rom the r e s u l t s ob ta i ned i n t h i s exper iment , when phosphorus i s added i n excess to a complete n u t r i e n t s o l u t i o n the re i s much g r e a t e r v e g e t a t i v e growth, hence i t ari-oears tha t i t i s the e f f e c t of the n i t r o g e n and po tas s i um tha t causes the phosphorus to f u n c t i o n so b e n e f i c i a l l y to the p l a n t . M a s s i u m d e f i c i e n c y does not show up as q u i c k l y as n i t r o g e n and phosphorus d e f i c i e n c i e s s i n c e i t i s not t i e d up i n i n s o l u b l e compounds, but a c t s c h i e f l y as a c a t a l y s t f o r the b u i l d i n g up of c a rbohyd ra t e s and suga r . The p l a n t s i n t h i s exper iment showed l e a v e s o f normal s i z e but w i t h t h i n l o n g p e t i o l e s , wh ich may have been caused by the improper d i v i s i o n o f the c e l l s . Second l y the a s t i m u l a t i o n o f c a rbo -h y d r a t e s and sugars i s reduced due to the l a c k o f po tass ium and t h i s shou ld be accompanied by an i n d i c a t i o n o f low ca rbo -h y d r a t e s i n the r o o t s , l e a v e s and f r u i t . W i th an excess of po tass i um the p l a n t i s manu f a c t u r i n g ca rbohyd ra te s and sugars and then s t o r i n g them, hence , as was i n d i c a t e d i n the excess po tas s i um s e r i e s , t he re was an i n c r e a s ed v e g e t a t i v e g rowth . T h i r d l y the re may have been base exchange in. the po tass i um d e f i c i e n t s e r i e s , s i n c e sodium d i - a c i d phosphate wasuused i n p l a c e o f po ta s s i um d i - a c i d phosphate i n the d e f i c i e n t po tass ium s e r i e s . Some worke r s c l a i m tha t t he re i s no b e n e f i t i n app l e o r cha rds f rom po ta sh f e r t i l i z e r s i n a r e a s where the s o i l con-t a i n s a h i g h pe r cen tage of sod ium. Here the sodium was t a k i n g the p l a c e o f the po t a s s i um . T h i s cou ld e x p l a i n the r e s u l t s ob t a i ned i n the d e f i c i e n t po ta s s i um s e r i e s where growth appear -ed no rma l . F u r t h e r a .na lys ie however would be necessa ry b e f o r e t h i s r e a s on c ou l d be c on s i d e r ed i n the case o f the s t r awbe r r y . Davis and H i l l have shown that with a d e f i c i e n c y of potassium there was the maximum accumulation of nitrogen, while with the absence of phosphorus there was no such accumulation of nitrogen. They, concluded that potassium i s so r e l a t e d to the nitrogen that i t controls the intake of nitrogen, while -Phos-phorus tends to augment it(*7). The excessive vegetative growth i n the calcium d e f i c i e n t s e r i e s can be explained as follows; the calcium ion being absent does not prevent the rapid intake of the other ions. The calcium i o n i s a. slow moving ion. The leaves-were large l i k e those found i n the excess phosphorus an pot-assium series,, hence we can associate an increase i n vegetative growth v/ith potassium and phosphorus i n a d e f i c i e n t calcium treatment, Davis a.nd H i l l found correenording r e s u l t s n o i n t i n g out where calcium was not fed there were no symptons of a lack of phosphorus orpo tassium •( *7 ) . V/ith an excess of calcium the plant was stunted • due to the e f f e c t s of the calcium ion. The slow moving calcium ion has i n t e r f e r e d with the passage of the potassium and phos-phorus ions, hence the supply of these nutrients to the plant was l i m i t e d , with the r e s u l t that the plant was dwarfed. The sulphate d e f i c i e n t s e r i e s showed exception-a l l y vigorous growth due to the fact that the potassium, phos-phorus, and n i t r a t e ions were able to pass into the tissues more r e a d i l y when the sulphate i o n was absent. The growth appeared very s i m i l a r to an excess potassium s e r i e s , and was probably due to the fact that the potassium ionswere able to pass into the tissues more r a p i d l y when there were no sulrthate - 3 0 -i o n s . The c a l c i um p r e sen t i n the s o l u t i o n would have an e f f e c t on the phosphorus , t h e r e f o r e ; i t appears tha t the r>otaseium was r e s p o n s i b l e f o r the added v e g e t a t i v e g rowth . Recent work has p r o v en t h a t bo ron , manganese, and z i n c a r e e s s e n t i a l e lements f o r p l a n t growth, but a r e r e q u i r e d i n ve r y sma l l q u a n t i t i e s . The s m a l l e r growth t h a t was e x h i b i t e d i n the excess b o r o n s e r i e s was due p o s s i b l y to the amount o f b o r o n a p p l i e ' b e i n g too g r ea t an exces s . I t i s l i k e l y t h a t i f bo ron had been omitfced from the s o l u t i o n s u f f i c i e n t would have been ob t a i n ed f rom the sand . The t o l e r a n c e to excess boron v a r i e s g r e a t l y w i t h the v a r i o u s p l a n t s , s t r a w b e r r i e s appear to r e q u i r e ve ry l i t t l e bo r on . With, manganese the l e a f l e t s were s m a l l e r and the p e t i o l e s t h i n n e r than those i n the complete n u t r i e n t s e r i e s , even though the l e a v e s were o f the same s i z e . The amount of manganese t ha t was a p p l i e d was about 5 p.p.m. which may have been somewhat t o x i c to the p l a n t , hence the reduced v i g o r due to the excess o f manganese, The a d d i t i o n o f an. excess o f z i n c to the n u t r i e n t s o l u t i o n had a marked e f f e c t , in. t ha t i t p roduced p l a n t s wh ich were l a r g e r t h a n the complete n u t r i e n t p l a n t s , w i t h the• l e a f -l e t s b e i ng l a r g e and the p e t i o l e s ve ry t h i c k . Hence i t appears tha t z i n c has a. ve ry marked e f f e c t on the v e g e t a t i v e growth of the s t r awbe r r y . The s e r i e s to wh ich the th ree e lements , bo ron , z i n c , and manganese were added i n excess shov^ed a marked s t u n t i n g and d w a r f i n g . Th i s was due to the t o x i c e f f e c t o f these e lements which were added p o s s i b l y i n too g rea t an ex-cece . Aga i n the th ree e lements may have an a n t a g o n i s t i c e f f e c t on one a n o t h e r . F u r t h e r work w i t h these th ree e lements a t v a r i o u s c o n c e n t r a t i o n s and r a t i o s would prove i n t e r e s t i n g and y i e l d c o n c l u s i v e r e s u l t s as to t h e i r f u n c t i o n s and v a l u e i n s t r awbe r r y n u t r i t i o n . W i th an excess o f i r o n we f i n d tha t the re was no g r e a t e r v e g e t a t i v e growth than i n the complete n u t r i e n t s e r i e s where a t r a c e of i r o n was added. The r e f o r e i r o n i s r e q u i r e d i n v e r y s m a l l q u a n t i t i e s but an exces s proved n e i t h e r h a rm fu l or b e n e f i c i a l . I r o n i s e s s e n t i a l i n the development o f c h l o r o p h y l l , f o r i n i t s absence the l e a ve s a r e p a l e y e l l o w and c h l o r o t i c . The i r o n a c t s as a c a t a l y s t i n the f o rma t i on of the p y r o l r i n g i n the c h l o r o p h y l l , t h e r e f o r e i t i s v e r y e s s e n t i a l to the p l a n t . An example of how i r o n overcame c h l o r o s i s was shown a t the U n i v e r s i t y o f B r i t h i s h Co lumbia fa rm, where a row o f the F a i r f a x v a r i e t y of s t r a w b e r r i e s when t r e a t e d w i t h f e r r i c s u l pha t e s o l u t i o n tu rned from a s i c k -l y y e l l o w c o l o r to a b r i g h t g reen w i t h i n a week, showing that i r o n i s v e r y e s s e n t i a l to the s t r awbe r r y p l a n t , even though i n v e r y s m a l l q u a n t i t i e s . U n t i l samples o f the f r u i t , l e a v e s and r o o t s o f these v a r i o u s s e r i e s a r e a n a l y s e d , no d e f i n i t e c o n c l u s i o n can be drawn as to the f u n c t i o n o f the v a r i o u s m i n e r a l e l -ements found i n the stra.wberry p l a n t . . Runner p r o d u c t i o n seems to be a s s o c i a t e d w i t h the v a r i o u s m i n e r a l n u t r i e n t s as i s shown by the r e s u l t s o f t h i s expe r imen t . Wi th the complete n u t r i e n t s o l u t i o n we - 3 2 -found tha t each p l a n t produced a s i n g l e runner w i t h two runner p l a n t s . I n the case o f the excess phosphorus s e r i e s the re was a marked i n c r e a s e i n runner p r o d u c t i o n . Here the phosphorus was conve r t ed i n t o p h o s p h o l i p o i d s and r educ t a se , enzymes and these i n c r e a s e d the v e g e t a t i v e growth of the p l a n t , wh i ch was accompanied by i n c r e a s ed runner p r o d u c t i o n . W i t h an i n c r e a s e o f po ta s s i um i n the n u t r i e n t s o l u t i o n these was an added v e g e t a t i v e growth due to the p r o d u c t i o n of sugar8 and c a r bohyd r a t e s . I n the d e f i c i e n t c a l c i um s e r i e s . t h e runners were produced due to the a v a i l a b i l i t y of the o the r m i n e r a l n u t r i e n t s po tas s i um and phosphorus , bo th o f wh ich produced runne r s i n the s e r i e s i n wh i ch they were i n e x ce s s . The re -f o r e i n the case o f the d e f i c i e n t c a l c i um s o l u t i o n , t he re i s r e a l l y an excess o f po ta s s i um and phosphorus , wh i ch caused the runne r s to be produced, due to the passage of these e lements i n t o the p l a n t unimpeded because o f the absence o f the c a l c i um i o n . . Bo th an excess o f po tass ium and phosphorus produced g r e a t e r runner growth per p l a n t than d i d the d e f i c -i e n t c a l c i um or the complete n u t r i e n t s o l u t i o n s , s i n c e the po ta s s i um and the phosphorus were p r e sen t i n excess amounts. I t i s a l s o i n t e r e s t i n g to no te the r a p i d i t y o f the e f f e c t o f the v a r i o u s m i n e r a l n u t r i e n t s on runner p r odu c t -i o n . The phosphorus had the q u i c k e s t r e a c t i o n on the p l a n t s , r unne r s appea r i ng e a r l y i n J u l y , ' whereas those formed i n the complete n u t r i e n t and excess po tass ium s o l u t i o n s d i d not come u n t i l n e a r l y th ree weeks l a t e r , w h i l e those i n the d e f i c i e n t c a l c i um s e r i e s were ano the r two weeks l a t e r . -33-Ou t s i d e o f the above f o u r s e r i e s , none o f the o the r p l a n t s p roduced r unne r s , wh i ch p o i n t s to the f a c t tha t s t r awbe r r y p l a n t e r r e q u i r e phosphorus and -potassium f o r runner p r o d u c t i o n . There appears to be a r e l a t i o n s h i p between the e lements ( po t a s s i um , phosphorus , c a l c i um , and n i t r o g e n ) , c a r bohyd r a t e s , and the mo i s t u r e con ten t , wh i ch causes the v a r i a t i o n s i n the f i rmne s s o f the b e r r i e s , I w i l l f i r s t d e a l w i t h the s o i l a n a l y s i s i n r e l a t i o n to the breakdown of the b e r r i e s . The c a l c i um phos-phorus r a t i o v a r i e d throughout the samples showing a ve r y d e f i n i t e r e l a t i o n s h i p to the f i rmnes s o f the b e r r i e s . I n sample PYA5A wh i ch had the h i g h e s t pe r cen tage of f i r m b e r r i e s , I found the c a l c i um phosphorus r a t i o to be 20 :1 ; i n sample PYA7 wh ich had the lowes t pe rcen tage of f i r m b e r r i e s the r a t i o was 6 7 : 1 . A l l samples wh i ch had a h i g h pe r cen tage o f f i r m b e r r i e s had a c a l c i um phosphorus r a t i o o f 20 :1, but the d i f f -e ren t degrees o f f i rmnes s was due to the v a r i a n c e of the o the r e l emen t s . I n sample PYA3, where the ca l c i um phosphorus r a t i o was 20:1 and the pptass iumrwas adequate , the re was a ve ry h i g h n i t r o g e n content, which r e s u l t e d i n the b e r r i e s b e i n g l e s s f i r m . A l s o i n sample PYA7A where the c a l c i um phosphorus r a t i o was 2 5 : I , the po tass i um moderate and the n i t r o g e n e x c e p t i o n a l l y h i g h the re was a complete breakdown, t h i s must have been due to the excess n i t r o g e n as the c a l c i u m phosphorus r a t i o was not much h i g h e r t h an t ha t found i n the b e t t e r samp les . -34-A low n i t r o g e n va l ue does not seem to have much a f f e c t on the breakdown of the b e r r i e s . Fo r example, i n the samples PYA2 and PYA8, the c a l c i um phosphorus r a t i o was 2 0 : 1 , the po ta s s i um moderate , and the n i t r a t e ve r y low, ye t the re was on l y a s l i g h t breakdown. An excess or d e f i c i e n c y o f no tas s i um i n the s o i l has a. s l i g h t a f f e c t on the f i rmnes s o f the b e r r i e s as i s shown i n samples PYA3- and PYA5, where on l y the po tass ium v; v a r i e d . The sample w i t h the h i g h e r po tass i um v a l u e , had a s l i g h t l y l ower pe r cen tage of f i r m b e r r i e s . I n samples PYA5A and PYA6A where on l y the po t a s s i um v a r i e d , sample PYA5A wh i ch had a moderate po t a s s i um con ten t had p e r f e c t b e r r i e s , whereas sample PYA6A wh ich had a low po tas s i um content had a low pe rcen tage o f f i r m b e r r i e s . Prom the above d i s c u s s i o n i t appears tha t the .. c a l c i um and phosphorus shou ld be i n the r a t i o o f 2 0 : 1 , and the po ta s s i um and n i t r o g e n i n moderate amounts i n the s o i l , I w i l l now d e a l w i t h the a n a l y s i s o f the f r u i t i n r e l a t i o n to the breakdown. The d r y we igh t o f the samples shows tha t the g r e a t e r the dry we igh t the f i r m e r the b e r r i e s , the lower the d ry we igh t the s o f t e r the b e r r i e s . I n the f i r m e s t samples the t o t a l sugar i s the h i g h e s t . The t i t r a t a b l e a c i d i t y was c o r r e s p o n d i n g l y h i g h e r i n the samples o f the f i r m e s t b e r r i e s due to the f a r.t t ha t more sugar a c i d s had been fo rmed . T o t a l ash v a r i e s l i k e w i s e w i t h the f i rmnes s o f the f r u i t , the g r e a t e r t o t a l ash b e i n g found i n the samples - 3 5 -where t he r e was l e a s t breakdown. The po tas s i um wh i ch makes up the g r e a t e r p a r t o f the t o t a l a sh a l s o v a r i e s correspond-i n g l y . • The p resence of the po tas s i um a i d s i n the f o r m a t i o n of the ca rbohyd ra t e s and i t i s f o r t h i s r ea son that the t o t a l sugars and s t a r c h e s a r e h i g h e r i n the f i r m b e r r i e s . From the above r e s u l t s i t appears tha t po ta s s i um i s the major f a c t o r i n the f i rmnes s o f the b e r r i e s . I n samples o f the b e t t e r b e r r i e s the r a t i o be-tween c a l c i um and magnesium was 2 : 1 . As soon as t h i s r a t i o v a r i e d the f i rmne s s of the b e r r i e s was a f f e c t e d . A l s o the c a l c i u m and phosphorus was i n the r a t i o o f 2 : I i n the f i r m -e r b e r r i e s and v a r i e d g r e a t l y i n the s o f t e r samp les . The n i t r o g e n v a r i e d ve ry l i t t l e throughout tfce samples , h a v i n g no apparen t e f f e c t on the f i rmne s s of the b e r r i e s . The r e f o r e f o r the b e r r i e s to be f i r m , they shou ld c o n t a i n a h i g h po tas s i um con t en t , wh ich i n t u r n a f f e c t s the t o t a l sugar , t o t a l c a r bohyd ra t e , t o t a l ash and d r y we igh t , c a l c i um and magnesium i n the r a t i o o f 2 : I and c a l c i u m and phosphorus i n the r a t i o o f 2 : I . Summary 1. A p l a n t t r e a t e d w i t h a complete n u t r i e n t s o l u t i o n p r o -duced normal v i g o r o u s g rowth , accompanied by runner p roduc -t i o n , 2. A s o l u t i o n d e f i c i e n t in. n i t r o g e n produced dwarfed p l a n t s , and the l e a v e s turned a r e d d i s h - y e l l o w i n the f a l l , 3 . A l a c k o f phosphorus caused a s t u n t i n g o f the p l a n t s . - 3 6 -4 . P l a n t s l a c k i n g i n n i t r o g e n d i s p l a y e d a r edden i ng of the ma rg i n of the l e a v e s i n the f a l l . 5. The absence of c a l c i um caused runner p r o d u c t i o n and a g r e a t -er v e g e t a t i v e g rowth . 6 . Wi th a d e f i c i e n c y o f s u l pha t e the p l a n t s grew ve r y v i g o r -o u s l y . 7 . An e x ce s s o f n i t r o g e n had l i t t l e e f f e c t on the appearance o f the p l a n t s , 8 . Phosphorus when g i v e n i n excess amounts, p roduced both v i g o r ou s v e g e t a t i v e growth and i n c r e a s e d r un rer p r o d u c t i o n . 9. With an excess o f po ta s s i um the re was a dec rease i n l e a f a r e a , a l s o an i n c r e a s e i n runner p r o d u c t i o n . 10 . An excess o f c a l c i um dwarfed the p l a n t s , 1 1 . Z i n c when f ed to the p l a n t s i n excess caused a coarse v e g e t a t i v e g rowth . 12 . Boron and manganese appeared to have l i t t l e e f f e c t , 13 . I r o n i s d e f i n i t e l y e s s e n t i a l but o n l y i n s m a l l q u a n t i t i e s . 14 . The c a l c i um phosphorus r a t i o i n the s o i l shou ld be kept as near 20 : I as p o s s i b l e i n o rde r to get f i r m b e r r i e s f o r c ann i ng pu rpo se s . 15 . Po t a s s i um and n i t r o g e n a r e r e q u i r e s i n moderate amounts i n the s o i l , 16 . The b e r r y i t s e l f shou ld c on t a i n a h i g h pe r cen tage o f po ta s s i um i n o rde r to be f i r m and of cann ing q u a l i t y . 17 . The ca l c i um and magnesium shou ld be i n the r a t i o o f 2 I I . 18 . The c a l c i u m arid phosphorus shou ld be i n the r a t i o o f 2 : I . 19£ N i t r o g e n appeared to have l i t t l e e f f e c t on the f i rmnes s o f the b e r r i e s . Bee omme nda t i o. rs 1. F e r t i l i z e r s shou ld c o n t a i n abundant phosphorus , p r e f e r a b l y g i v e n as the superphospha te . 2. Po t a s s i um shou ld be s u p p l i e d abundan t l y i n the form o f y p o t a s h . 3. N i t r o g e n shou ld not be g i v e n i n too g rea t an exces s . 4„ Expe r imen t s shou ld be c a r r i e d on w i t h the cann ing p roces s i n r ega rd s to both t ime and p r e s s u r e . 5. A l s o expe r iments shou l d be c a r r i e d on w i t h the type o f c o n t a i n e r i n wh i ch the b e r r i e s a r e canned. The t i n c on t a i n e r may have some a f f e c t on the breakdown. - 38 -L i t e r a t u r e C i t e d . (1) BEDFORD,H„A.R. and P ICKERING,S .V . , Woburn E xpe r imen t a l Farms Repo r t 1900, pages 83-92 . (2) ERAGG, \"Method of A n a l y s i s o f the A s s o c i a t i o n of O f f i c i a l A g r i c u l t u r a l Chemists^' Wash ington D.C. 1935. (3) Chand l e r , V/.H., \"Commerc ia l F e r t i l i z e r s f o r S t r a w b e r r i e s , \" . 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(8) KRAMER-TISDAL,' \"Method of A n a l y s i s of the A s s o c i a t i o n of O f f i c i a l A g r i c u l t u r a l Chemists', ' Wash ington D.C. T$35 . (9) KYELDAHL,\"Method o f A n a l y s i s o f the A s s o c i a t i o n o f O f f -i c i a l A g r i c u l t u r a l Chemis t s , Washington D.C. 1935. (10) LANE and EYEON, \"Method o f A n a l y s i s of. the A s s o c i a t i o n o f O f f i c i a l A g r i c u l t u r a l Chemis t s , Wash ington D.C. 1935. (11) LATIMER,I*.P. and WENTWORTH,S.W., \" F e r t i l i z e r Exper iments on S t r a w b e r r i e s \" , U n i v e r s i t y o f New Hampshi re , A g r i c -= 39-u l t u r a l Exper iment S t a t i o n T e c h n i c a l B u l l e t i n 55, 1933. (12) LOREE ,R .E . , \"The S u t r i e n t Requ i rements of the S t r awbe r r y , \" M i c h i g a n S t a t e C o l l e g e , A g r i c u l t u r a l Exper iment S t a t i o n T e c h n i c a l B u l l e t i n 70, 1925, (13) McCANCE and SHIPP, \"Method of A n a l y s i s of the A s s o c i a t i o n o f O f f i c i a l A g r i c u l t u r a l Chemis t s , Wash ington B.C. 1935. (14) MORRIS,L .S . and CRIST, J . W . \" T h e I n f l u e n c e o f R e a c t i o n of C u l t u r e Medium on Growth o f S t r awbe r r y P l a n t s , \" M i c h i g a n S t a t e C o l l e g e , A g r i c u l t u r e Exper iment S t a t i o n T e c h n i c a l B u l l e t i n 77 ,1927 . (15) RABER,0 . , \" P r i n c i p l e s o f P l a n t P h y s i o l o g y , \" M a c M i l l a n , New York . 1933, (16) SHOEMAKER J . S . a n d GREVE, E - W . \" R e l a t i o n o f N i t r o g en F e r t -i l i z e r to the F i rmness and Compos i t i on o f S t r a w b e r r i e s \" Ohio A g r i c u l t u r a l Exper iment S t a t i o n B u l l e t i n 466 ,1930. ( I ? ) SPUR W A Y , C . H . , \" S o i l T e s t i n g , A P r a c t i c a l System of S o i l D i a g n o s i s \" , M i c h i g a n A g r i c u l t u r a l Exper iment S t a t i o n , T e c h n i c a l B u l l e t i n 132, ( r e v i s e d ) 1935. (18) WALTMAN, C . S . , \" E f f e c t o f 'Hydroge n-Ion C o n c e n t r a t i o n .on the Growth of S t r a w b e r r i e s i n Sand and i n S o i l \" , U n i v e r s i t y of Ken tucky , A g r i c u l t u r a l Exper iment S t a t i o n , B u l l e t i n 321, 1931. (19) WHITE, J New J e r s e y A g r i c u l t u r a l Exper iment S t a t i o n Repo r t 1892, page 141. -B-Plate *U -F-- c -"@en ; edm:hasType "Thesis/Dissertation"@en ; edm:isShownAt "10.14288/1.0105566"@en ; dcterms:language "eng"@en ; ns0:degreeDiscipline "Botany"@en ; edm:provider "Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library"@en ; dcterms:publisher "University of British Columbia"@en ; dcterms:rights "For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use."@en ; ns0:scholarLevel "Graduate"@en ; dcterms:title "Nutritional studies with strawberries and the breakdown of the strawberry in canning"@en ; dcterms:type "Text"@en ; ns0:identifierURI "http://hdl.handle.net/2429/38690"@en .