Cultivar Evaluations for Organic Strawberry Production in High Tunnels

Strawberry production in high tunnels has great economical potential for small farmers. However, limited information is available on cultivars suitable for a high tunnel microclimate. This study was a continuation of our 2013–14 cultivar trials with the objective to investigate cultivars that would produce during the fall and following spring in organically managed high tunnels. Strawberry plugs of 10 cultivars (eight June-bearing and two day-neutral) were planted on September 30, 2014, in 30’ x 96’ high tunnels in Greensboro (zone 7) and Goldsboro (zone 8), North Carolina. The experiment was conducted as a completely randomized block design with three replications, 18 plants per replication. Plugs were planted 14’’ apart in two rows of a 3-foot wide raised bed covered with black plastic mulch. Irrigation and fertigation were provided through a drip tape buried under the plastic. Row covers were applied when field temperatures below 0 °C were forecasted. Cultivars performed similarly between the two locations. Day-neutral varieties ‘Abion’ and ‘San Andreas’ were the first to produce berries and had significantly higher yield than June-bearing cultivars by the end of 2014, which reflects fall yield. By the end of February 2015, the accumulated marketable yield ranged from 17 grams/plant for ‘Camino Real’ to 110 for ‘San Andreas’, and the total yield was from 20 for ‘Camino Real’ to 131 ‘San Andreas’. The top three producers were ‘San Andreas’, ‘Radiance’, and ‘Abion’, which yielded more than other cultivars. ‘Camino Real’ had the largest number of runners (2.4/plant) by the end of 2014, while ‘Camarosa’, ‘Sweet Charlie’, ‘San Andreas’, and ‘Radiance’ had almost no runners. The canopy size remained similar from December through February with average diameter of 21.5 cm, although harvests continued during that period. The average marketable berry weight ranged from 16.6 grams for ‘San Andreas’ to 32.7 grams for ‘Benicia’. The °Brix value was fairly constant during the winter, with an average reading of 10.1 for February 12 and 9.7 for March 5, although ‘Benicia’, ‘Festival’, ‘Radiance’, ‘San Andreas’, and ‘Winterstar’ had slightly higher °Brix. Through March 2015, the results from the current year’s study were similar to that of the previous year; therefore, a conclusion on recommended strawberry cultivars for organic high tunnel production can be drawn once the trial is completed in June.