High Quality Winter Strawberry Production in High Tunnels

Strawberries have long been a high value crop and have become an increasingly popular crop for high tunnel production using an annual plasticulture system. Annual plasticulture allows for high quality, increased yields, earlier harvests, soil warming, weed control, moisture conservation, and ease of harvest.  In addition to an earlier spring harvest, high tunnels offer the ability to harvest strawberry fruits for an additional season in temperate climates. Growers are able to use high tunnels as a marketing tool when field production has not yet begun. The objective of this study was to compare variety performance and fruit quality for winter versus spring production in high tunnel and open field plots. This study was conducted in the subtropical southeast (Knoxville, TN), characterized by mild winters and hot, humid summers. Three June-bearing (Albion, San Andreas, and Seascape) and three day-neutral (Chandler, Radiance, and Strawberry Festival) varieties were tested for their production performance.  Fruit quality indicators measured included color, firmness, soluble solids, titratable acidity, and shelf-life.  The high tunnel system produced high quality berries and yields during the winter production season, while no fruit was produced in the open field during the winter. During the spring production season, yields increased in both the open field and high tunnels but berries had lower sugar and firmness levels compared to the fruit from the winter production season. Low sugar and firmness levels may have been caused by the unusually high temperatures experienced during March—the hottest March on record in Tennessee. These findings may allow growers to maximize profits with out-of-season production and higher fruit quality.