Performance of Strawberry Varieties Developed for Perennial Matted-Row Production in Annual Plasticulture in a Cold Climate Region

Courtney A Weber

doi:10.3390/agronomy11071407

Courtney A Weber

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11071407

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Abstract

Annual plasticulture production of strawberries promises superior weed control, fruit quality and yields. However, strawberry varieties adapted for perennial, matted-row production and local markets in cold climate regions have not been widely tested for adaptation to an annual production cycle. Productivity of seven short-day varieties developed for matted-row and/or annual production was examined in an annual plasticulture system in two consecutive trials in central NY (lat. 42.87° N, long. 76.99° W) harvested in 2013 and 2014. ‘Flavorfest’ demonstrated good performance in Trial 1 with high yield (390 g/plant) and large fruit size (13.9 g mean berry weight). ‘Jewel’ was shown to be well adapted to the annual plasticulture system with consistently high yields (330 and 390 g/plant) that equaled or surpassed other varieties and had moderate fruit size. ‘Chandler’ performed similarly to previous trials conducted in warmer regions with yield (340 g/plant) and fruit size (9.8 g mean berry weight) similar to ‘Jewel’. ‘Clancy’ yielded less but was consistent from year to year. The late season varieties Seneca and Ovation showed marked variability between years, possibly due to drastically different temperatures during flowering and fruit development in Trial 1 compared to Trial 2. High temperatures in Trial 1 likely caused higher early fruit yield, a compressed season and a precipitous decline in fruit size in the later season, thus reducing yield in the late season. Survival after a second dormant period was poor resulting in a small second harvest and reduced fruit size. Overall, the system demonstrated many of the expected benefits but may be more sensitive to weather conditions in the region. While many varieties developed for matted-row production may work well in an annual plasticulture system, not all varieties are equally adapted. Performance of each variety should be determined independently before large scale adoption by growers.

Highlights

Strawberry production in cold climate regions has traditionally utilized a perennial matted-row production system
This system relies on perennial production, typically for three to five seasons, to spread out the establishment costs over multiple years while increasing the cumulative productivity of each planting. Varieties adapted to this production system rely on daughter plants to produce most of the crop rather than the crown that was originally planted. This has been a reliable system, especially for retailing into local markets where shelf-life is of lesser concern to consumers but has weed management challenges because few herbicides with limited residual effect are available to growers in this region [2]
‘Flavorfest’, ‘Jewel’ and ‘Chandler’ showed good potential for the system in the region and produce fruit that is acceptable in local markets

Summary

Introduction

Strawberry production in cold climate regions has traditionally utilized a perennial matted-row production system This system utilizes short-day varieties with a concentrated harvest season in late spring and early summer, peaking in June in much of the upper Midwest, Northeast and New England regions of the U.S [1], the colloquial “Junebearing” label for short-day strawberry varieties grown in these regions. This system relies on perennial production, typically for three to five seasons, to spread out the establishment costs over multiple years while increasing the cumulative productivity of each planting. The matted-row system produces relatively low annual yield compared to annual plasticulture production in warmer regions [3,4]

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