Strawberry plants, with their shallow root systems, are particularly sensitive to environmental stresses, especially those related to water and temperature.

*   **Nitrogen Stress:** Nitrogen deficiency affects the plant's photosynthetic pathways. A smartphone-based index measuring the ratio of blue light reflectance can detect nitrogen stress. The index value decreases with increasing nitrogen stress exposure.
*   **Drought Stress:** As a plant with a shallow root system and large leaf area, it is highly sensitive to water deficiency.
*   **Drought Effects on Growth:** Drought reduces leaf area, shoot length, fruit number, and fruit size, ultimately decreasing yield.
*   **Root System Response:** Drought stress can stimulate root length, leading to a higher root-to-shoot ratio for greater water uptake.
*   **Physiological Responses to Drought:** Plants adapt by adjusting osmotic potential and activating ROS scavenging mechanisms. The relative water content (RWC) of leaves decreases under drought.
*   **Photosynthesis and Pigments:** Drought leads to a decrease in photosynthetic pigments and reduced net photosynthesis due to stomatal closure.
*   **Salt Stress:** Strawberry is one of the most salt-sensitive horticultural crops.
*   **Salinity Effects:** Salinity reduces water and nutrient uptake, decreases root and leaf development, and accelerates leaf senescence, leading to lower yield and quality.
*   **Heat Stress:** High temperatures (above 30°C or 86°F) are detrimental, reducing yields, fruit size, total leaf area, and overall plant health.
*   **Heat and Fruit Quality:** High temperatures can negatively affect fruit coloration and reduce fruit size and weight.
*   **Chilling and Freezing Stress:** These low-temperature stresses can cause significant damage.
*   **Cold Stress Responses:** Plants respond to cold by altering chlorophyll concentration, hydrogen peroxide levels, and enzymatic antioxidant mechanisms.
*   **Alleviating Cold Stress:** External application of factors like salicylic acid can protect plants by increasing chlorophyll and soluble sugar concentrations.
*   **Biotic Stress:** The angular leaf spot (ALS) disease is a major biotic stressor for strawberry production.
*   **PGP Microorganisms:** Inoculating plants with Plant-Growth-Promoting (PGP) bacteria can significantly increase plant growth and fruit production, even under salinity or disease stress.
*   **Cultivar Variability:** Tolerance to drought, heat, and salinity varies significantly among different strawberry cultivars.
*   **Leaf Temperature:** Leaf temperature increases under water stress conditions due to reduced transpiration.
*   **Quantum Yield:** This measure of photosynthetic efficiency is affected by water stress.
*   **Water Use Efficiency (WUE):** WUE is a key parameter affected by drought conditions.
*   **Growing Environment:** Strawberries grown in greenhouses or soilless cultivation systems are more sensitive to water stress than those grown in open fields.