Effects of runner order on strawberry plug plant fruit production

The use of strawberry plug plants is becoming popular among strawberry Sicilian growers. However, plants are propagated from terminal runner tips from stolons containing variable numbers of tips, and hence plants originate from tips of variable age. In this experiment 'Cartuno' and 'Tudla' runner tips were graded into first, second and third order generation for rooting as plug plants and transplanted under plastic tunnels. Rooting of both cultivars was not affected by the runner order. Tertiary plants flowered earlier and gave significantly earlier yields than secondary and primary plants in 'Tudla' but not in 'Cartuno'. Total fruit production and fruit size, in general, was not affected by runner position.