THE FORIATION AND DEVELOPi LENT OF STRAWBERRY FLOYJERS 



The time of flovrer bud fonnation in the strav;berry varies v.ath the latitude, 

 climatic conditions, species, variety and individual plant. In the latitude of 

 Massachusetts flovrer buds of the June bearing varieties are initiated in the fall. 

 Generally, the flcarer bud differeniation proceeds rapidly \vith many buds having 

 vrell-developed flovrer parts in De -ember. In Pennsylvania, the author has noted, 

 blossoms may open on the Temple variety in late October, 



Some experimental evidence shovTS that flavrer bud differentiation is affected 

 by the~nutritional level of the soil, particularly by the amount of available 

 nitrogenT Stra\/berry plants starved for nitrogen at the time of floi-rer bud forma- 

 tion v/iil set less buds than plants having an ample supply. 



Flower bud differentiation in runner plants differs according to time of the 

 plant formation^ the oldest plants differentiate flower buds earliest. This is 

 \-fhy the Massachusetts strawberry grower should set his stra\Tberry plants as early 

 as possible in the spring. Early planting encourages the formation of early runner 

 plants viThich produce a larger number of blossoms and are more productive than later 

 formed runner plants. ' ' ~ 



With everbearing strawberry plants, the fruit that ripens in June developed 

 from buds vihich vrere initiated the previous fall and the "second crop" is from 

 flower buds initiated in late June and July, 



The typical strawberry flower stalk or inflorescence is made up of a main, 

 or primary, stem v/hich is terminated by the "primary flower", Tv\ro secondary 

 branches originate from the primary stem and are terminated by "secondary" flovrers. 

 From each of the secondary branches, two tertiary branches arise which are termin- 

 ated by ".tertiary flovrers and from each tertiary branch two quaternary branches 

 originate and are terminated by the quaternary flowers", A typical strawberry 

 flcf/rer stalk has, therefore, one primary, two secondary, four tertiary, and eight 

 quaternary flovvers. 



The prijnary flower opens first follovred in order, by secondary, tertiary and 

 quaternary floiTers, Experimental evidence has shown that a positive correlation 

 exists between flower~^sition, flower part' ntimber, and size of fruit. The primary 

 flower of the inflorescence has more flovrer parts, its pistils are more fertile, 

 and it bears larger fruit than the later flowers of the inflorescence. Many of 

 the fruits developing from the tertiary and particularly from the quaternary flowers 

 are small, or maybe nubbins. Some of the last flowers to open may approach sterility. 

 The mother plants and the earliest formed runner plants produce the largest number 

 of flowers and are most productive. 



The strawberry blossoms generally are pollinated by insects. The time from 

 blossom to harvest averages about 30 days but varies Virith climatic conditions and 

 varieties . 



The strawberry is an aggregate fruit in which the individual f ruitlets are 

 what are commonly called seeds. That is to say, the seeds of the strawberry are 

 the fruits and the edible part of the stravfberry is largely enlarged stem tissue. 



.. When pollination is inadequate and only a few ovules are fertilized and 

 thereby only a few seeds develop the resulting strawberry will be misshapen. 



W, J. Lord 



//////////////// 



