Strawberry Production, Growth and Development in Northern Climates

Abstract

This paper focuses on the cropping systems in northern European countries such as Norway and Finland. Winter injury commonly occurs in strawberry fields in northern climates and inadequate snow cover further aggravates the problem. During the last decade there has been an increase in programmed “out-of-season” strawberry production. Greenhouse producers aim for year-round production, whereas those using polyethylene tunnels extend the main production season to include May/June and September/October. The dominant strawberry cultivars in Nordic countries are ‘Senga Sengana’ for the processing industry and the Dutch cultivar ‘Korona’ is preferred for direct fresh market consumption due to its good flavor and high yields. Recently, ‘Honeoye’ has gained considerable interest among Danish and Swedish growers due to its high productivity and its relatively low susceptibility to grey mold. In Finland, the Norwegian cultivar ‘Jonsok’ is one of the most popular cultivars due to its high tolerance to winter injury and grey mold.