2017 ASHS Annual Conference

Strawberries are an important crop in Florida ranking second to tomatoes among the vegetable, melon, and berry crops. Although Florida’s strawberry production is ranked second to California, Florida is the leading producer of winter strawberries in the US. However, the economic sustainability of the industry has been challenged in recent years by increasing competition from Mexico for the winter strawberry market. Increasing early yields to take advantage of higher prices has been proposed to address this problem. Breeding and selection for early and heat-tolerant cultivars and evaluation of cultural practices that mitigate heat stress during early planting are current emphases aimed at enhancing early yields. Technology that increases the efficiency of labor and thus decreases the cost of labor is also warranted. Increasing crop diversity by adding crops to provide longer term opportunities for workers or adding organic production to attract price premiums are alternative production systems that strawberry growers may want to consider.