Out of SeasonStrawberry Production Research

Michael NewellMaryland 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

Availability of plant material All varieties do not respond the

same

Strawberry Types

Categorized by type of floral induction induced by day-length, (temperature influenced)

-Short-day, June bearers-Everything else

everbearers, repeat bearersday-neutral

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)

Research at WYE

* Early Spring production Prior to outdoor field production

* Fall production Thanksgiving and Christmas market

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

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

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 13.6Cavendish 2 86.1 8.3 10.3Jewel 2 268.0 23.0 11.6Jewel 1 179.0 16.6 10.7

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

Greenhouse Plug Yields 2005

Variety Yield /sqft grams

Yield/plantgrams

First harvest

Camarosa 809 132 April 22

Chandler 844 140 April 22

Sw. Charlie

378 62 April 12

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

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

Early-flowering Short-day Varieties

Sweet Charlie Carmine Ventana Florida Festival Earlibrite Chandler Camarosa

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

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

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

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

High Tunnel ResultsSweet Charlie (ET)

2004/Fall Yield (ET) 2005/Spring yield81.7 gr/plant 526.6 gr/plant1st pick 11/12/04 1st pick 3/28/05

2005/Fall yield (ET) 2006/Spring yield40.8 gr/plant 445 gr/plant1st pick 11/7/05 1st pick 3/31/06

Fall 2006 Yield

Cultivar Yield/plant (lbs)

First Pick

Ventana 0.24 November 15

Chandler 0.5 December 1

Sweet Charlie

0.5 November 1

Camarosa

0.52 November 1

Carmine 0.72 November 1

Spring 2007 Yield and Total Yield

Cultivar Spring Yield/plant

(lbs)

Total YieldFall+Spring

(lbs)

Ventana 1.281.28 1.52

Chandler 1.141.14 1.90

Sweet Charlie

0.780.78 1.28

Camarosa

0.860.86 1.38

Carmine 0.900.90 1.62

2009/2010 Strawberry Festival

Tip-plugged 7/1/2009

Total Grams/plant

Fruit Size (gr)

Harvest Date

Fall Harvest 52 17.3 10/21-1/8

Spring Harvest 546 11.0 4/9-6/11

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

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

Wye Research Center Spring Strawberry Twilight Meeting

Questions