Polyethylene microplastics alter root functionality and affect strawberry plant physiology and fruit quality traits.

Strawberry, a globally popular crop whose fruit are known for their taste and health benefits, were used to evaluate the effects of polyethylene microplastics (PE-MPs) on plant physiology and fruit quality. Plants were grown in 2-L pots with natural soil mixed with PE-MPs at two concentrations (0.2% and 0.02%; w/w) and sizes (⌀ 35 and 125 µm). Plant physiological responses, root histochemical and anatomical analyses as well as fruit biometric and quality features were conducted. Plants subjected to ⌀ 35 µm/0.2% PE-MPs exhibited the most severe effects in terms of CO2 assimilation due to stomatal limitations, along with the highest level of oxidative stress in roots. Though no differences were observed in plant biomass, the impact on fruit quality traits was severe in ⌀ 35 µm/0.2% MPs treatment resulting in a drop in fruit weight (-42%), soluble solid (-10%) and anthocyanin contents (-25%). The smallest sized PE-MPs, adsorbed on the root surface, impaired plant water status by damaging the radical apparatus, which finally resulted in alteration of plant physiology and fruit quality. Further research is required to determine if these alterations also occur with other MPs and to understand more deeply the MPs influence on fruit physio-chemistry.

Effect of postharvest nicotinamide treatment on NAD+ metabolism and redox status in strawberry fruit during storage.

The increased activity of PARP enzymes is associated with a deficiency of NAD+, as well as with a loss of NADPH and ATP, and consequent deterioration of the redox state in fruits. In this study, we checked whether treatment with nicotinamide (NAM) would affect PARP-1 expression and NAD+ metabolism in strawberry fruit during storage. For this purpose, strawberry fruits were treated with 10 mM NAM and co-treated with NAM and UV-C, and then stored for 5 days at 4 °C. Research showed that nicotinamide contributes to reducing oxidative stress level by reducing PARP-1 mRNA gene expression and the protein level resulting in higher NAD+ availability, as well as improving energy metabolism and NADPH levels in fruits, regardless of whether they are exposed to UV-C. The above effects cause fruits treated with nicotinamide to be characterised by higher anti-radical activity, and a lower level of reactive oxygen species in the tissue.

The Influence of Polyols on the Process Kinetics and Bioactive Substance Content in Osmotic Dehydrated Organic Strawberries.

In recent years, an increasing interest in reducing sugar consumption has been observed and many studies are conducted on the use of polyols in the osmotic dehydration process to obtain candied or dried fruits. The studies in the literature have focused on the kinetics of the process as well as the basic physical properties. In the scientific literature, there is a lack of investigation of the influence of such polyol solutions such as sorbitol and mannitol used as osmotic substances during the osmotic dehydration process on the contents of bioactive components, including natural colourants. Thus, the aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of polyols (mannitol and sorbitol) in different concentrations on the process kinetics and on chosen physical (colour and structural changes) as well as chemical (sugars and polyol content, total anthocyanin content, total polyphenol content, vitamin C, antioxidant activity) properties of osmotic-dehydrated organic strawberries. Generally, the results showed that the best solution for osmotic dehydration is 30% or 40% sorbitol solutions, while mannitol solution is not recommended due to difficulties with preparing a high-concentration solution and its crystallization in the tissue. In the case of sorbitol, the changes of bioactive compounds, as well as colour change, were similar to the sucrose solution. However, the profile of the sugar changed significantly, in which sucrose, glucose, and fructose were reduced in organic strawberries and were partially replaced by polyols.

Preparation and characterization of polylactic acid/fenugreek essential oil/curcumin composite films for food packaging applications.

Curcumin and Fenugreek essential oil (FEO) were blended into the PLA matrix by solution casting technique to improve the functional properties of the composite film. Both fillers (curcumin and FEO) were properly combined and uniformly distributed in the polymer matrix to create a PLA-compatible composite evidenced by Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) results. The addition of FEO and curcumin to the composite film improved UV-blocking, surface color, tensile strength, flexibility, thickness, and Water contact angle (WCA). However, the inclusion of curcumin and FEO slightly diminish the Water vapor permeability (WVP) while maintaining its thermal stability. The PLA-based composite film exhibited good antibacterial and anti-oxidant properties. In addition, a food quality test was performed on strawberry, and the results were compared to the commercial (polyethylene) film.

Promoter analysis of the SPATULA (FvSPT) and SPIRAL (FvSPR) genes in the woodland diploid strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.).

The aim of this study was to identify transcription factor (TF) binding sites and cis-regulatory elements (CREs) on the promoters of FvSPR1-like2 (SPIRAL) and FvSPT (SPATULA) genes in the woodland diploid strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.). We identified: (1) MYB59, WRKY25 and WRKY8 TFs which play a role in ethylene signaling; (2) ARF family of TFs which play a role in ARF-mediated auxin signaling on the promoter of FvSPR1-like2 gene; (3) ARR family of TFs which play a role in cytokinin signaling; (4) ERF family of TFs which play a role in ethylene signaling on the promoter of FvSPT. This bioinformatic analysis of TFs and CREs may provide a better understanding of the function of genes involved in, and the mechanism underlying, non-climateric ripening during strawberry fruit maturation.

Effect of Exogenous Auxin Treatment on Cell Wall Polymers of Strawberry Fruit.

The role of auxin in the fruit-ripening process during the early developmental stages of commercial strawberry fruits (Fragaria x ananassa) has been previously described, with auxin production occurring in achenes and moving to the receptacle. Additionally, fruit softening is a consequence of the depolymerization and solubilization of cell wall components produced by the action of a group of proteins and enzymes. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of exogenous auxin treatment on the physiological properties of the cell wall-associated polysaccharide contents of strawberry fruits. We combined thermogravimetric (TG) analysis with analyses of the mRNA abundance, enzymatic activity, and physiological characteristics related to the cell wall. The samples did not show a change in fruit firmness at 48 h post-treatment; by contrast, we showed changes in the cell wall stability based on TG and differential thermogravimetric (DTG) analysis curves. Less degradation of the cell wall polymers was observed after auxin treatment at 48 h post-treatment. The results of our study indicate that auxin treatment delays the cell wall disassembly process in strawberries.

Simple Osthole/Nanocarrier Pesticide Efficiently Controls Both Pests and Diseases Fulfilling the Need of Green Production of Strawberry.

The application of botanical pesticides is a good choice in organic agriculture. However, most botanical pesticides have limitations of slow action and short persistence for pest and disease management, which constrain their further application. With the objective of exploring a green pesticide for controlling strawberry pests and diseases simultaneously, a star polymer (SPc) with a low production cost was synthesized as a pesticide nanocarrier through simple reactions. The SPc complexed with osthole quickly through electrostatic interaction and hydrophobic association, which decreased the particle size of osthole down to the nanoscale (17.66 nm). With the help of SPc, more nano-sized osthole was delivered into cytoplasm through endocytosis, leading to the enhanced cytotoxicity against insect cells. As a green botanical pesticide, the control efficacy of the osthole/SPc complex was improved against main strawberry pests (green peach aphid and two-spotted spider mite) and disease (powdery mildew), which fulfilled the need of both pest and disease management in sustainable production of strawberry. Meanwhile, the introduction of SPc not only improved plant-uptake but also decreased the residue of osthole due to the higher degradation rate. Furthermore, the application of the osthole/SPc complex exhibited no influence on the strawberry fruit quality and nontarget predators. To our knowledge, it is the first success to control plant pests and diseases simultaneously for sustainable agriculture by only one pesticidal formulation based on nanoparticle-delivered botanical pesticides.

N6-methyladenosine RNA modification regulates strawberry fruit ripening in an ABA-dependent manner.

BACKGROUND: Epigenetic mark such as DNA methylation plays pivotal roles in regulating ripening of both climacteric and non-climacteric fruits. However, it remains unclear whether mRNA m6A methylation, which has been shown to regulate ripening of the tomato, a typical climacteric fruit, is functionally conserved for ripening control among different types of fruits. RESULTS: Here we show that m6A methylation displays a dramatic change at ripening onset of strawberry, a classical non-climacteric fruit. The m6A modification in coding sequence (CDS) regions appears to be ripening-specific and tends to stabilize the mRNAs, whereas m6A around the stop codons and within the 3' untranslated regions is generally negatively correlated with the abundance of associated mRNAs. We identified thousands of transcripts with m6A hypermethylation in the CDS regions, including those of NCED5, ABAR, and AREB1 in the abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis and signaling pathway. We demonstrate that the methyltransferases MTA and MTB are indispensable for normal ripening of strawberry fruit, and MTA-mediated m6A modification promotes mRNA stability of NCED5 and AREB1, while facilitating translation of ABAR. CONCLUSION: Our findings uncover that m6A methylation regulates ripening of the non-climacteric strawberry fruit by targeting the ABA pathway, which is distinct from that in the climacteric tomato fruit.

Ethylene application at the immature stage of Fragaria chiloensis fruit represses the anthocyanin biosynthesis with a concomitant accumulation of lignin.

Ethylene seems to play a secondary role in non-climacteric strawberry ripening compared to abscisic acid. However, this does not exclude that ethylene can regulate some specific events related to the ripening process. Preliminary experiments of applications of ethylene or its inhibitor 1-MCP to strawberry fruits have reinforced this hypothesis. Here, we reveal some previously non-covered physiological effects of ethylene using an in vitro strawberry ripening system. Fruits of Fragaria chiloensis treated with ethephon at the large green developmental stage showed inhibition of anthocyanin biosynthesis and downregulation of essential anthocyanin biosynthesis genes during the ripening. At the same time, ethylene stimulated lignin biosynthesis and remarkably upregulated the expression of FcPOD27. Since contrasting results have been reported when ethylene was applied at late ripening developmental stages, our findings support the hypothesis of a temporal-specific ethylene role in the ripening of strawberry fruits.

Adhesive film applications help to prepare strawberry fruit sections for desorption electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry imaging.

Desorption electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry imaging (DESI-MSI) is a powerful tool to analyze the distribution of metabolites in biological tissues. Cryosectioning of biological tissues is usually required prior to DESI-MSI, but it can be difficult for tissues that are fragile, hard, and have a high-water content. The Kawamoto method uses transparent adhesive films to prepare cryosections; however, its application for plant tissues, such as strawberry tissues, in DESI-MSI has not been verified. In this study, strawberry cryosections maintained original structures were prepared using adhesive film. Subsequently, numerous peaks were detected for the sections using the positive and negative ion modes of DESI-MSI. Several primary and specialized metabolites, such as amino acids, sugars, organic acids, and flavonoids, were identified and visualized. These results suggest the use of adhesive films when cryosectioning could improve DESI-MSI analysis of the metabolites in strawberry fruits and various tissues of other plant species.

Chitin in Strawberry Cultivation: Foliar Growth and Defense Response Promotion, but Reduced Fruit Yield and Disease Resistance by Nutrient Imbalances.

Strawberry cultivation is associated with high mineral fertilizer doses and extensive use of chemical plant protection products. Based on previous research, we expected that chitin application to peat substrate would increase the nutrient availability and activate the plant systemic defense response, resulting in higher strawberry yields and fewer disease symptoms. We set up two experiments in which the temporal variability and differences in initial nutrient concentrations of the growing media were taken into account. Chitin treatment resulted in the attraction of plant growth-promoting fungi toward the plant root, such as species from genera Mortierella and Umbelopsis. In addition, by the end of the experiments 87 mg of mineral nitrogen (N) per liter of substrate was mineralized, which can be related to the observed increase in plant shoot biomass. This, however, led to nutrient imbalances in plant shoots and fruit; N concentration in the leaves increased over 30%, exceeding the optimal range, while phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) deficiencies occurred, with concentrations lower than 50% of the optimal range. This may explain the decreased fruit yield and disease resistance of the fruit toward Botrytis cinerea. In contrast, chitin caused a clear defense priming effect in the strawberry leaves, with a strong induction of the jasmonic acid response, resulting in fewer foliar disease symptoms. Chitin causes positive effects on shoot growth and foliar disease resistance, but caution needs to be taken for nutrient imbalances leading to negative influences on root growth, fruit production, and disease susceptibility toward B. cinerea.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

Expression profiling of endo-xylanases during ripening of strawberry cultivars with contrasting softening rates. Influence of postharvest and hormonal treatments.

BACKGROUND: Softening is one of the main features that determine fruit quality during strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa, Duch.) ripening and storage. Being closely related to textural changes, the molecular and biochemical bases underlying strawberry cell-wall metabolism is a matter of interest. Here we investigated the abundance of transcripts encoding putative strawberry endo-xylanases in plant tissues, during fruit ripening and under postharvest and hormonal treatments. Total xylanase activity and expression of related genes in strawberry varieties with contrasting firmness were analyzed. RESULTS: FaXynA and FaXynC mRNA abundance was significantly higher than FaXynB in each plant tissue studied. Higher total xylanase activity was detected at the end of the ripening of the softer cultivar ('Toyonoka') in comparison with the firmer one ('Camarosa'), correlating with the abundance of FaXynA and FaXynC transcripts. Postharvest 1-methylcyclopropene treatment up-regulated FaXynA and FaXynC expressions. FaXynC mRNA abundance decreased with heat treatment but the opposite was observed for FaXynA. Calcium chloride treatment down-regulated FaXynA and FaXynC expression. Both genes responded differently to plant growth regulators' exposure. FaXynC expression was down-regulated by auxins and gibberellins treatment and up-regulated by abscisic acid. FaXynA was up-regulated by auxins, while no changes in mRNA levels were evident by abscisic acid and gibberellins treatment. Ethephon exposure did not change FaXynA and FaXynC expressions. CONCLUSION: New knowledge about the presence of xylanases in ripening strawberry fruit and their response to postharvest and hormonal treatments is provided. Our findings suggest a role for endo-xylanases in hemicelluloses depolymerization and possibly in strawberry fruit softening. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Fully dilutable Thymus vulgaris essential oil:acetic or propionic acid microemulsions are potent fruit disinfecting solutions.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of acetic (AA) or propionic (PA) acid as a cosurfactant on the microemulsion (ME) characteristics of Thymus vulgaris essential oil (TVO). The results showed that addition of propylene glycol to TVO/AA or PA:T80/water MEs gave dilutable systems with particles ~59 nm in diameter. Plain TVO showed the highest antimicrobial activity against E. coli, S. aureus, and S. typhi in in vitro antimicrobial tests, followed closely by AA/PA-MEs. The antimicrobial activity of AA/PA-MEs used as a washing solution on cucumber and strawberry samples was remarkably greater than those of free TVO, TVO nanoemulsions, and chlorhexidine solutions against E. coli and S. aureus. The sensory properties of the samples were not changed by the use of AA/PA-MEs at 0.05 or 0.1% TVO. The results introduce dilutable TVO:AA/PA-MEs for incorporation of TVO in aqueous systems for use as a fruit/vegetable disinfecting agent.

Silicon builds resilience in strawberry plants against both strawberry powdery mildew Podosphaera aphanis and two-spotted spider mites Tetranychus urticae.

Silicon is found in all plants and the accumulation of silicon can improve plant tolerance to biotic stress. Strawberry powdery mildew (Podosphaera aphanis) and two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) are both detrimental to strawberry production worldwide. Two field trials were done on a UK commercial strawberry farm in 2014 and 2015, to assess the effects of silicon nutrient applied via the fertigation system on P. aphanis and T. urticae. The silicon treatments decreased the severity of both P. aphanis and T. urticae in two consecutive years on different cultivars. The percentage leaf area infected with P. aphanis mycelium from silicon treated plants were 2.19 (in 2014) and 0.41 (in 2015) compared with 3.08 (in 2014) and 0.57 (in 2015) from the untreated plants. The etiology of the pathogen as measured by the Area Under the Disease Progress Curve from silicon (with and without fungicides) treatments was 152.7 compared with 217.5 from non-silicon (with and without fungicides) treatments for the overall period of 2014-2015. The average numbers of T. urticae recorded on strawberry leaves were 1.43 (in 2014) and 1.83 (in 2015) in plants treated with silicon compared with 8.82 (in 2014) and 6.69 (in 2015) in untreated plants. The silicon contents of the leaves from the silicon alone treatment were 26.8 µg mg-1 (in 2014) and 22.2 µg mg-1 (in 2015) compared with 19.7 µg mg-1 (in 2014) and 21.4 µg mg-1 (in 2015) from the untreated. The silicon nutrient root application contributed to improved plant resilience against P. aphanis and T. urticae. Silicon could play an important role in broad spectrum control of pests and diseases in commercial strawberry production.

Selenium and silica nanostructure-based recovery of strawberry plants subjected to drought stress.

Drought is an important environmental stress that has negative effects on plant growth leading to a reduction in yield. In this study, the positive role of nanoparticles of SiO2, Se, and Se/SiO2 (SiO2-NPs, Se-NPs and Se/SiO2-NPs) has been investigated in modulating negative effects of drought on the growth and yield of strawberry plants. Spraying of solutions containing nanoparticles of SiO2, Se, and Se/SiO2 (50 and 100 mg L-1) improved the growth and yield parameters of strawberry plants grown under normal and drought stress conditions (30, 60, and 100%FC). Plants treated with Se/SiO2 (100 mg L-1) preserved more of their photosynthetic pigments compared with other treated plants and presented higher levels of key osmolytes such as carbohydrate and proline. This treatment also increased relative water content (RWC), membrane stability index (MSI) and water use efficiency (WUE). In addition, exogenous spraying of Se/SiO2 increased drought tolerance through increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes including catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) as well as decreasing lipid peroxidation and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content. Increase in biochemical parameters of fruits such as anthocyanin, total phenolic compounds (TPC), vitamin C and antioxidant activity (DPPH) in strawberry plants treated with Se/SiO2 under drought stress revealed the positive effects of these nanoparticles in improving fruit quality and nutritional value. In general, our results supported the positive effect of the application of selenium and silicon nanoparticles, especially the absolute role of Se/SiO2 (100 mg L-1), on the management of harmful effects of soil drought stress not only in strawberry plants, but also in other agricultural crops.

Facile Mechanochemical Approach To Synthesizing Edible Food Preservation Coatings Based On Alginate/Ascorbic Acid-Layered Double Hydroxide Bio-Nanohybrids.

A bionanohybrid based on ascorbic acid-intercalated layered double hydroxides (LDHs) was synthesized using a facile and novel mechanochemical grinding technique, and its efficacy as an edible food coating is reported. Ascorbic acid-intercalated Mg-Al-LDHs (AA-LDHs) are synthesized using a green water-assisted grinding approach. The successful synthesis of the mechanochemically ground AA-LDHs was confirmed by the shifts observed in the basal peaks of the LDHs based on a powder X-ray diffraction, changes in the positions of vibrational frequencies of ascorbic acid based on Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, and significant changes in the intensity and peak positions of the core-shell bands based on X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The resulting nanohybrid further demonstrates thermal stability in thermogravimetric and derivative thermogravimetric analysis. Transmission electron microscopy images of the mechanochemically synthesized AA-LDHs reveal a plate-like morphology, which is a characteristic of the hydrotalcite-like structure. In a novel application, an edible coating was prepared by blending the AA-LDHs into a biocompatible alginate matrix, and the coating was developed on freshly plucked strawberries using the dip-coating method. In order to evaluate the efficacy of the coating, the total phenolic content, pH, microbial growth, weight loss, titratable acidity, and ascorbic acid content were monitored in the coated and uncoated fruits for a period of 18 days. The results reveal that the shelf life of strawberries increases from 9 days to 15 days for the nanohybrid coated fruits, suggesting the potential food preservation applications of the nanohybrid.

The fungal elicitor AsES requires a functional ethylene pathway to activate the innate immunity in strawberry.

Acremonium strictum Elicitor Subtilisin (AsES) is a fungal elicitor that activates innate immunity, conferring disease resistance in strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.), Arabidopsis and other plant species. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the involvement of the ethylene (ET) signalling pathway in AsES-mediated immune response in strawberry. Ethylene production and expression of the genes responsible for ET synthesis, perception and response were measured after AsES treatment. ROS (H2 O2 ) accumulation and immunity induced by AsES were studied after ET perception was blocked by 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP). Biochemical and molecular results showed that AsES induced a marked increase in local and systemic biosynthesis of ET, both in a biphasic manner. Blocking of ET perception by 1-MCP prior to AsES induction reduced production of ROS (H2 O2 ) and prevented AsES from eliciting defence against fungal pathogens having different lifestyles, such as Botrytis cinerea (necrotrophic) and Colletotrichum acutatum (hemibiotrophic). These findings contribute to elucidate the mode of action of the novel elicitor subtilase, AsES, specifically regarding the role of ET signalling in the activation of plant innate immunity, in addition to the multitude of processes regulated by ET in plants.

A Long-Day Photoperiod and 6-Benzyladenine Promote Runner Formation through Upregulation of Soluble Sugar Content in Strawberry.

Commercial strawberries are mainly propagated using daughter plants produced on aerial runners because asexual propagation is faster than seed propagation, and daughter plants retain the characteristics of the mother plant. This study was conducted to investigate the effective factors for runner induction, as well as the molecular mechanisms behind the runner induction. An orthogonal test with 4 factors (photoperiod, temperature, gibberellin, and 6-benzyladenine), each with 3 levels was performed. Proteins were also extracted from the crowns with or without runners and separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis. The results of the orthogonal test showed that a long-day (LD) environment was the most influential factor for the runner formation, and 50 mg·L-1 of 6-BA significantly increased the number of runners. A proteomic analysis revealed that 32 proteins were differentially expressed (2-fold, p < 0.05) in the strawberry crowns with and without runners. A total of 16 spots were up-regulated in the crowns with runners induced by LD treatment. Identified proteins were classified into seven groups according to their biological roles. The most prominent groups were carbohydrate metabolism and photosynthesis, which indicated that the carbohydrate content may increase during runner formation. A further analysis demonstrated that the soluble sugar content was positively correlated with the number of runners. Thus, it is suggested that the photoperiod and 6-BA break the dormancy of the axillary buds and produce runners by increasing the soluble sugar content in strawberry.

Evaluation of gamma irradiation for human norovirus inactivation and its effect on strawberry cells.

Norovirus (NoV) is the leading cause of epidemic and sporadic gastroenteritis worldwide; a high number of those cases are attributed to the consumption of contaminated food. Crop producers have used several strategies to inactivate the virus present in these products and thus stop the NoV transmission chain. Physical methods such as gamma radiation show excellent results in the inactivation of bacteria, but its effect on NoV has been little studied. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of gamma radiation for NoV inactivation, and over the surface topographic characteristics of strawberry cells, as a prototype of soft fruit. A 10% suspension of GII norovirus-positive stool samples were treated with either 200 mg/L of sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) or gamma-irradiated at doses of 5, 10, 15 and 20 kilograys (kGy). Viral inactivation was determined by measuring the integrity of viral capsid using RNase A alone or in combination with proteinase K followed by RT-qPCR. The effect over cellular surface topology characteristics of the fruit was measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and confocal microscopy. High doses of radiation (20 kGy) were necessary to detect a significant (p < 0.05) decrease of up to 1.26 log10 viral copy number. This dose significantly (p < 0.05) raises the root means square roughness (Rq), which affects directly the quality and texture of the product. The gamma irradiation doses tested in this study were not enough to inactivate NoV. The allowed gamma irradiation doses for fresh produce does not alter the surface topology of the fruit, but they affect the content of fluorescent compounds, responsible for the antioxidant activity of the fruit.

Effect of Trichoderma Bioactive Metabolite Treatments on the Production, Quality, and Protein Profile of Strawberry Fruits.

Fungi of the genus Trichoderma produce secondary metabolites having several biological activities that affect plant metabolism. We examined the effect of three Trichoderma bioactive metabolites (BAMs), namely, 6-pentyl-α-pyrone (6PP), harzianic acid (HA), and hydrophobin 1 (HYTLO1), on yield, fruit quality, and protein representation of strawberry plants. In particular, 6PP and HA increased the plant yield and number of fruits, when compared to control, while HYTLO1 promoted the growth of the roots and increased the total soluble solids content up to 19% and the accumulation of ascorbic acid and cyanidin 3-O-glucoside in red ripened fruits. Proteomic analysis showed that BAMs influenced the representation of proteins associated with the protein metabolism, response to stress/external stimuli, vesicle trafficking, carbon/energy, and secondary metabolism. Results suggest that the application of Trichoderma BAMs affects strawberry plant productivity and fruit quality and integrate previous observations on deregulated molecular processes in roots and leaves of Trichoderma-treated plants with original data on fruits.