Performance of Eight Strawberry Cultivars in Organically Managed High Tunnels for Fall and Spring Production in North Carolina

In 2012, strawberry production in North Carolina ranked 4^th in the United States. While most production continues to take place in open fields with conventional practices, strawberry production in high tunnels has been on the rise due to its potential high economic returns. Very little research has been conducted on cultivar evaluation and plant management techniques for organic strawberry production in high tunnels. Growers have found that many well performing field cultivars, for example ‘Chandler’, are ideal for high tunnels. The objective of this study was to investigate cultivars and plant management strategies that would lead to fall and the following spring production in organically managed high tunnels. Strawberry plugs of eight cultivars were planted in high tunnels at Greensboro and Lincolnton, North Carolina, in late August 2013. Cultivar types included conditioned June-bearing, short-day, ever-bearing and day-neutral. Out of the eight cultivars, ‘Albion’ was first to bloom and produce fruit. ‘Camarosa’ and ‘Camino Real’ had significantly higher number of runners, while ‘Radiance’ (a short day cultivar) had the lowest. Cultivars performed differently at the two locations in terms of yield and pest incidence. At the Greensboro site, only four cultivars had produced marketable fruit and six had bloomed by the end of October. The total yield by December 31, 2013 ranged from 149.3 gram/replication for ‘Camarosa’ to 1009.7 for ‘San Andreas’, although no statistical difference existed. The low yield might be caused by severe two-spotted spider mites infestations. At the Lincolnton site, cultivars Benicia, Festival, Sweet Charlie and Radiance had significant higher marketable yield and total yield than other cultivars. The Spider mites problem was less severe than the Greensboro site. Economical analysis indicates that the yield from both sites were too low to compensate for the cost of materials and labor for fall production. However, an earlier planting date at the end of July may speed up plant growth to allow for earlier harvest in the fall.