The strong chromatic index of a graph G, denoted χ′s(G), is the least number of colors needed to edge-color G so that edges at distance at most two receive distinct colors. The strong list chromatic index, denoted χ′s,ℓ(G), is the least integer k such that if arbitrary lists of size k are assigned to each edge then G can be edge-colored from those lists where edges at distance at most two receive distinct colors.

We use the discharging method, the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz, and computation to show that if G is a subcubic planar graph with girth(G)≥41 then χ′s,ℓ(G)≤5, answering a question of Borodin and Ivanova [Precise upper bound for the strong edge chromatic number of sparse planar graphs, Discuss. Math. Graph Theory, 33(4), (2014) 759--770]. We further show that if G is a subcubic planar graph and girth(G)≥30, then χ′s(G)≤5, improving a bound from the same paper.

Finally, if G is a planar graph with maximum degree at most four and girth(G)≥28, then χ′s(G)N≤7, improving a more general bound of Wang and Zhao from [Odd graphs and its applications to the strong edge coloring, Applied Mathematics and Computation, 325 (2018), 246-251] in this case.