Strawberry runner suppression with prohexadione-calcium

Foliar applications of the gibberellin synthesis inhibitor prohexadione-Ca (P-Ca) were tested for suppressing runners of cold-stored dormant plants of the day-neutral cultivars Seascape and Selva in a spring-planted production system. P-Ca was applied as a foliar spray at an active ingredient concentration of 240 mg/L, either as a single application, or twice at a 1-week interval just after pre-initiated flower bloom. P-Ca treatments reduced runner number by 50% when applied either singly or in multiple applications, and resulted in an increase in crown number. Although yields for 'Selva' were increased by P-Ca treatment, all treatments yielded below commercially acceptable levels during 2003.