Abstract
Florida strawberry growers frequently relay-crop (RC) vegetables with strawberry to offset high input costs. Relay-cropping consists of planting two crops at different times on the same raised bed which helps growers' lower risk due to diversification and maximize economic returns. Four separate experiments on relay cropping strawberry with jalapeño pepper and cantaloupe were conducted at Balm, Florida, in 2016-17 and 2017-18. The objective was to a) determine the effects of relay-cropping on crop yields, b) optimize pepper and cantaloupe planting date, and c) optimize the strawberry termination date when relay cropping with vegetables. Strawberry yields were unaffected by the presence of vegetables. Pepper yields were unaffected by the presence of strawberries, but cantaloupes yields were significantly (p = 0.0250) lower when planted with strawberry. Early January to early-February were the optimum dates to transplant pepper with strawberries transplanted in October but date of planting did not affect cantaloupe yield. Early January to early-February transplant dates for pepper resulted in net profits of around $23000-38000/ha in 2016-17 compared to the baseline treatment (strawberries alone). However, in 2017-18 all of the planting dates of pepper with strawberry except January 4 resulted in losses of $2000-18000/ha. In 2016-17, cantaloupes planted in late January and early February resulted in profits of $2986.3 and 2705.1/ha, respectively. All other planting dates resulted in loses compared to baseline treatment. In 2017-18, all the planting dates resulted in net profits of around $6700-14500/ha. In conclusion, cantaloupe and jalapeño pepper can be relay cropped with strawberry with no negative effects on strawberry yield. However, early planting dates tend to maximize economic return.
Highlights
Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duchesne) is a commonly consumed berry fruit crop worldwide
Competition from foreign and domestic markets coupled with high production costs, volatile prices, and low labor availability continues to have a negative impact on the Florida strawberry industry [3, 5, 6]
Four separate experiments a) strawberry relay cropped with peppers, b) strawberry relay cropped with cantaloupes, c) strawberry termination date when relay cropped with peppers, and d) strawberry termination date when relay cropped with cantaloupes were setup in 2016 and 2017
Summary
Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duchesne) is a commonly consumed berry fruit crop worldwide. The United states rank second in strawberry production with California and Florida producing an estimated 91% and 8% of total US production, respectively [1]. The lower production costs and the availability of cheap labor outside the US have affected the profitability of the strawberry industry across the US [3]. Strawberry is grown only as a winter crop in Florida unlike California which has a much longer production cycle that can overlap with Florida production and reduce berry prices [4]. Competition from foreign and domestic markets coupled with high production costs, volatile prices, and low labor availability continues to have a negative impact on the Florida strawberry industry [3, 5, 6]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
