Current state and future perspectives of commercial strawberry production: A review

Abstract

Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) is a popular fruit crop, having gained significant interest in the past several decades, thus increasing demand for specialty crops. Depending on the cropping system used, strawberry production can be either annual or perennial and many improvements in management practices, breeding, and new systems have helped to support the commercial strawberry industry. Nevertheless, strawberry production has faced many challenges that have put pressure on research teams across the world to develop new mechanisms of adaptation to meet the increasing demand for high-quality strawberry production. In this article, we compiled information about the current state and future perspectives of commercial strawberry production. The biggest threats to strawberry production are extreme weather and pressure from pests and disease. Cultivars have been developed to curtail some of these challenges and to satisfy consumer preferences regarding fruit quality. New crop management techniques have been developed, such as overhead irrigation and row covers for frost protection and steam or solarization for soil sanitization. In addition, new systems have been explored under protected environments, accompanied by advanced technology operations to reduce human labor. As production trends shift to accommodate increasing demand, the adoption of new production systems and technology, the creation of new cultivars, and new management practices will be important in supporting the growing industry.