Feeling the Heat: Temperature and Fertilizer's Role in Producing a High-Yielding Raspberry Crop (Rubus idaeus) in a Controlled, Hydroponic Environment

BackgroundTemperature and fertilizer crucially influence fruit quality. While well-studied for outdoor-grown red raspberries, optimal conditions for controlled indoor agriculture are less understood.ObjectivesThis study aimed to identify the best temperature and fertilizer regimen to maximize fruit production, sweetness, and harvest index in an indoor, hydroponic vertical farm.MethodsWe tested three temperatures (21, 23, 25°C) and three fertilizer mixes (A: weak fertilizer applied at a constant rate, B: developmentally adjusted fertilizer (DAF) and C: DAF plus commercial endomycorrhizal fungi) on ‘Joan J’ raspberries in a controlled indoor hydroponic vertical farm in Toronto, Canada. We measured fruit number, weight, and sugar content.ResultsRaspberries grown at 23°C produced significantly more (∼30%) total fruit biomass than those at 21 and 25°C (F = 17.19, P<0.001). Fruit weight was higher earlier in the season, decreasing by 29% in the following three months. Temperature and time interacted such that the largest fruit was produced at 21°C in the first month (F = 3.70, P < 0.001). Fertilizer B yielded significantly greater (26–35%) more fruit and harvest index than Fertilizers A or C (F=5.16, P<0.001), though no significant differences were found in the interaction between fertilizer and time. Additionally, raspberries grown at 23°C had significantly higher sugar content (9.89°Bx, P < 0.05) compared to other temperatures, but fertilizer did not influence sweetness.ConclusionsWhile 21°C yielded the most fruit early in the season, 23°C produced the highest overall yield and sweetest fruit, lower than typical outdoor conditions for temperate climate raspberries. Developmentally adjusted fertilizers increase raspberry yield.