Plant Propagation Techniques and Type of Plants.

Strawberry plant production in the nursery is based on the ability of the plants to produce stolons, which form new buds, resulting in new crowns of daughter plants. The production of runners is favoured in nurseries where adequate photoperiods and temperatures are ensured. The production system for certified material consists of four basic stages from the collection of healthy mother plants (nuclear stock) of verified varieties from which protected propagation stock I is established through to micropropagation or the production of runners, until the propagation stock II is set in the field to propagate mother plants of the commercial nursery. In the commercial nursery, various propagation techniques lead to the production of different plant types (bareroot or potted) that are the appropriate specific material to carry out a wide range of producing cycles. At the time of establishing a strawberry orchard, plants must have physiological (proper floral differentiation and content of carbohydrates), development and certified health characteristics. The certification system follows the specific certification rules of each country, based on technical standards that ensure plant health at every step of the propagation process.