Emerging trends in plant growth regulators for enhancing strawberry production: A comprehensive review

The strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa), appreciated for its flavor, nutritional value, and health benefits, has considerable global economic importance. Year-round, high-quality strawberry demand is growing, which makes it important to maximize production processes. Plant growth regulators (PGRs) play a pivotal role in enhancing strawberry quality, yield, and tolerance to stress. This review analyzes the action of new PGRs on strawberry growth and development, such as brassinosteroids, salicylic acid, CPPU, putrescine, hexanal, triacontanol, and melatonin. CPPU enhances fruit size and shelf life; putrescine enhances fruit development; hexanal extends shelf life; triacontanol increases growth and flowering; melatonin influences growth, ripening, and stress tolerance; and brassinosteroids enhance growth and stress tolerance. The use of these PGRs in combination with traditional practices offers new avenues to sustainable strawberry production. There is a discussion of the challenges in understanding the mechanism of action and implementing them in practice. The use of next-generation PGRs presents exciting opportunities to revolutionize strawberry farming and meet the increasing global demand.