Effects of salt concentration and cation balance in soils on leaf tipburn and calcium content of strawberry leaves and fruit

Strawberry plants cv. Cambridge Favourite were grown in pots of soil in a glasshouse. A relationship was found between the function aCa: SaCations(soil solution) x guttation score, the severity of leaf tipburn and the calcium concentration in the emerging leaf. Slightly less well related but of more practical use was the function cCa: ScCations/electrical conductivity of the soil solution; values below 0.15 mS‐1 resulted in increased tipburn and reduced calcium concentrations in emerging leaves and in the fruit.