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Out of Season Strawberry Production Research

Out of Season Strawberry Production Research. Michael Newell Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station Wye Research and Education Center. Limitations. Strawberries are a cool-season plant ! Temperatures and light levels in the Winter may be to low to make production economically viable

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Out of Season Strawberry Production Research

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  1. Out of SeasonStrawberry Production Research Michael Newell Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station Wye Research and Education Center

  2. Limitations • Strawberries are a cool-season plant ! • Temperatures and light levels in the Winter may be to low to make production economically viable • Availability of plant material • All varieties do not respond the same

  3. Strawberry Types Categorized by type of floral induction induced by day-length, (temperature influenced) -Short-day, June bearers -Everything else everbearers, repeat bearers day-neutral

  4. Planting Stock Type • Dormant bare-rooted • Fresh dug bare-rooted, green top or cutoffs • Runner tips • Plug plants, tray plants • Waiting plants (dormant multi-crown)

  5. Research at WYE * Early Spring production • Prior to outdoor field production * Fall production • Thanksgiving and Christmas market

  6. Early SpringProgrammed System • Programmed harvest using multi-crowned (waiting plants) bare-rooted dormant plants - 60 days from planting to harvest - variety specific temperatures (day/night) - artificial light to increase day-length - plant material is expensive (~0.30/plant) -extend season with successive plantings

  7. Early Spring Programmed System • Multi-crowned dormant plants Eros, Jewel, Cavendish • Gutters 8” x 4” x 8’ = 5.3 sqft • Metro mix 560, queen-gel drip tape • Plant 2/23 • Harvest 4/21-5/14 • Spacing in gutter = 6” x 6” = 32 plants/gut • Bumble bee pollination

  8. Greenhouse Yields / sqft/gutter(6 plants) Variety Crown # Grams Fruit # Berry size Eros 2 363.2 28.3 12.8 Eros 3 404.1 29.7 13.6 Cavendish 2 86.1 8.3 10.3 Jewel 2 268.0 23.0 11.6 Jewel 1 179.0 16.6 10.7

  9. Early Spring Production with Plugs • August 1 tip-plugging date • Camarosa, Chandler, Sweet Charlie • Plant in gutter September 18 in Greenhouse, 32 plants/gutter = 5.3 sqft • Moved outdoor on December 21 • Covered with FRC • Moved into greenhouse February 15 • Keep night time temps > 32f

  10. Greenhouse Plug Yields 2005

  11. Strawberry Production in TunnelsObjectives • To produce strawberries in November and December • Followed by early Spring production • Use the annual production system • Use short-day varieties

  12. Fall Production With the Annual System -Important Points • Use early-flowering short-day varieties • Use 60 day-old, runner-tip propagated plugs (#50) • Plant September 1st in high tunnel • Heat and cold tunnel management • Pest management • Pre-plant and drip fertilization

  13. Early-flowering Short-day Varieties • Sweet Charlie • Carmine • Ventana • Florida Festival • Earlibrite • Chandler • Camarosa

  14. Fall Production With the Annual System -Important Points • Use early-flowering short-day varieties • Use 60 day-old, runner-tip propagated plugs (#50) • Plant September 1st in high tunnel • Heat and cold tunnel management • Pest management • Pre-plant and drip fertilization

  15. Fall Production With the Annual System -Important Points • Use early-flowering short-day varieties • Use 60 day-old, runner-tip propagated plugs (#50) • Plant September 1st in high tunnel • Heat and cold tunnel management • Pest management • Pre-plant and drip fertilization

  16. Fall Production Important Points • Use early-flowering short-day varieties • Use 60 day-old, runner-tip propagated plugs (#50) • Plant September 1st in high tunnel • Heat and cold tunnel management • Pest management • Pre-plant and drip fertilization

  17. Fall Production in High Tunnel • Sweet Charlie, short-day, early flowering • Early tip-plugged (ET), July 1, 50 cell tray • Pre-plant fertility same as outdoor culture • Raised beds, black plastic, drip irrigation • Plant in HT September 1 • Manage HT heat/cold • Harvest early November • Harvest in Spring

  18. High Tunnel ResultsSweet Charlie (ET) 2004/Fall Yield (ET) 2005/Spring yield 81.7 gr/plant 526.6 gr/plant 1st pick 11/12/04 1st pick 3/28/05 2005/Fall yield (ET) 2006/Spring yield 40.8 gr/plant 445 gr/plant 1st pick 11/7/05 1st pick 3/31/06

  19. Fall 2006 Yield

  20. Spring 2007 Yield and Total Yield

  21. 2009/2010 Strawberry FestivalTip-plugged 7/1/2009

  22. 2010/2011Strawberry Festival • Planted in July 2010 as a dormant bare-rooted plant in 32 cell trays • Planted in tunnel 9/22/2010 • First flowers on 11/18/2010 • No Fall harvest Spring harvest 3/7- 5/10/2011 1.13 lb/plant, 12.0 gr berry size

  23. Summary *Be realistic for a target harvest season *All varieties do not perform the same under similar conditions *Choose varieties/plant stock for desired harvest season *If working in an unconditioned structure, seasonal weather may influence outcome *Work with nurseries for needed material

  24. Questions Wye Research Center Spring Strawberry Twilight Meeting

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