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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Kearneysville, West Virginia » Appalachian Fruit Research Laboratory » Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #224135
Title: Evaluation of cultivars and plug establishment for greenhouse strawberry production

Author
item DEYTON, DENNIS - UNIV OF TENN, KNOXVILLE
item SAMS, CARL - UNIV OF TENN, KNOXVILLE
item CUMMINS, JOHN - UNIV OF TENN, KNOXVILLE
item Takeda, Fumiomi

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/15/2008
Publication Date: 7/20/2008
Citation: Deyton, D., Sams, C., Cummins, J., Takeda, F. 2008. Evaluation of cultivars and plug establishment for greenhouse strawberry production. HortScience. 43:1230.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: There is year-round consumer demand for fresh strawberries in the U.S. However, in the mid-South locally produced strawberries are available only for a short period in spring. In off-season, strawberries are currently shipped into the mid-south states. Research was conducted to determine the feasibility of fall-wintertime production in greenhouses. Runner tips were collected from five short-day 'Camarosa', 'Carmine', 'Chandler' and 'Ventana', and everbearing Evie-2 in early July and in early August. Runner tips were also collected from 'Raritan', 'Northeaster' and 'Darselect' in July and established as plug plants. In mid September, the plug plants were transferred to 15 cm x 11 cm round pots containing 50 percent Promix and 50 percent perlite. An experiment was established with 13 randomized treatments and eight replications in a heated 29.3 m by 9.1 m polyethylene-covered greenhouse. The pots were placed on greenhouse benches in trays that kept pots spaced 30 cm (center-to-center) within-rows and in double rows 15 cm apart. Each experimental unit contained 6 plants, thus there were 48 plants of each treatment in the experiment. The first harvest was collected on 13 November and harvest continued until 13 April. For the November-December period, 'Carmine' (July tip-cutting) had the highest yield (227 g/plant). Plants from July tip cuttings of 'Camarosa', 'Evie-2', and 'Ventana' had approximately 180 g/plant. Yields of 'Raritan', 'Northeaster' and 'Darselect' were less than 65 g/plant. Yields of the five cultivars propagated in July had approximately 35 percent greater than the same cultivars propagated in August. 'Evie-2', 'Carmine', and 'Camarosa' yielded approximately 900 g/plant for the entire harvest period. Fruit of 'Evie-2' were relatively large but had poor flavor, and ripened unevenly. 'Carmine' and 'Camarosa' had acceptable flavor and fruit size. 'Ventana' plants yielded slightly less fruit but had the best fruit quality throughout the trial period.