Strawberry cultivation

Cultivation practices of strawberry under temperate region

1. Production technology for fruit and plantation crops-HT-244 (2+1) PRESENTED BY: RAKESH KUMAR PATTNAIK Asst. Prof. Horticulture MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Dt- 10-06-20 LECTURE 11. Strawberry

2. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Botanical Name: Fragaria ananassa Family: Rosaceae Origin: Man Made CN: 56 It is a herbaceous plant with a fibrous root system. The flowers appear in small clusters and are generally white in color Strawberries are very popular as ice-creams, cakes, milkshakes and other such desserts worldwide. Strawberry is rich in Vitamin C and iron The fruit is very popular owing to its nutritional quality, color , aroma, texture and of course, its taste. Artificial flavoring is also used in cosmetics, hand sanitizers, candies, etc. United States is the world’s largest strawberry producer followed by Turkey, Spain, Egypt, Mexico and Poland. In India, strawberries are cultivated in Satara districts, Kalimpong in West Bengal , Bangalore, Nainital and Dehradun. Among these, Satara districts of Mahabaleshwar, Wai and Panchgani account for total 85% of strawberry cultivation in India.

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4. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Ideal Conditions for Strawberry Cultivation Climate for Strawberry Plantation Strawberry needs a temperate climate short day plants During flower formation, they need a photoperiod (sunlight) of eight to twelve hours for about ten days. Strawberries are classified into two groups Overbearing Varieties – They develop flower buds during long as well as short light periods. Commercial Varieties – They flower only during the short light periods. Soil for Strawberry Cultivation Strawberry has a fibrous root system Root penetrating maximum to a depth of 15 cm humus-rich soil Slightly acidic soil with a pH of 5.0-6.5.

5. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Season of Strawberry Plantation Maximum vegetative growth of strawberries takes place during autumn. Post winter, it starts flowering during spring. Hence, strawberries are normally planted during September to October months. Chandler Large-sized fruits with firm skin and flesh. A single strawberry weighs around 18 grams. Owing to the outstanding color and flavor , the berries are popular for desserts. They are tolerant towards viral attacks and resistant to physical damages caused by rain. Tioga Large-sized fruits with firm skin and flesh. A single berry weighs 9 grams approximately. An early maturing variety. They are tolerant to viral attacks. Torrey Large-sized fruits with skin and flesh of medium firmness. They produce numerous runners. Each berry weighs about 6 grams. The dessert quality is excellent and so is the processing quality. Tolerant towards viral attacks. Strawberry Varieties

6. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Selva Being day-neutral variety, it produces off-season fruits. Large-sized, conical to block-shaped fruits with a firm flesh and skin. Individual berry weighs upto 18 grams. Has excellent dessert quality. They can be shipped and handled during transportation. Belrubi Large, conical fruits with bright red skin and flesh. Tastes sweetly acidic. Individual berry weight is around 15 grams. Plants produce runners. Fern This variety is early ripening and day neutral. It is of overbearing type cultivar. Fruit-size varies from medium to large with firm, red- colored skin and flesh. Fruit taste varies between sweet to slightly acidic. Individual berry weighs between 20-25 grams. Pajaro Large-sized fruits with red- colored , firm skin and flesh. They are susceptible to damage caused by rain but are tolerant to viral attacks .

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8. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Water Requirement and Irrigation During the time of plantation, if there is no rain then the field is irrigated twice a week. The frequency reduced to once a week in November. During the winter months of December and January, the irrigation is done once in every fifteen days. Irrigation is applied in furrows between the rows. Trickle and sprinkler irrigation systems are becoming popular nowadays. In case of trickle irrigation , 30% water and energy are saved. Planting Material for Strawberry Plantation Strawberries are propagated through runners via the vegetative method. They are mulched using materials like straw and polythene. Mulching in black colored polythene helps in controlling the weeds.

9. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Land Preparation for Strawberry Cultivation For cultivating strawberry, the land must be ploughed deeply and then harrowed. Organic manure like farm yard manure, neem cake, etc. is mixed with the soil before planting the runners. Different systems of strawberry plantation are followed such (Training System) Matted Row Hill System Spaced Row Plastic Mulch

10. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Spacing   Planting distance varies according to variety & type of land. A spacing of 30 cm. x 60 cm. is usually followed Nutrition A fertilizer dose of 25-50 tonnes farmyard manure, 75-100 kg. N, 40-120 kg. P2O5, 40-80 kg. K2O/ha . may be applied After Planting Care Flower stems appearing on plants in the initial stages after planting must be plucked. This is so that the plants do not drain causing a reduction in their vitality. This practice also helps the plants adapt themselves to drought and heat better. In case of cultivars that produce lesser number of daughter plants, this practice helps increase the strawberry plant to set in soil and also increase the number of runners.

11. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Growth regulators Application of GA 3 (50 ppm.) sprayed four days after flowering and maleic hydrazide (0.1-0.3%) sprayed after flowering increases the yield by 31-41%. Morphactin (@ 50 ppm.) improves the fruit size Crop Rotation in Strawberry Cultivation Strawberry demands a lot of nutrients from soil. Hence it must be rotated with leguminous crops like beans after harvest . Once harvested it is advisable to cultivate strawberry again after a period of one year.

12. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Harvesting Strawberries Strawberry season in Mahabaleshwar, Nainital and Kashmir starts during May to June when strawberries start ripening while it ripens during late February to April months in the plains . Plants start bearing in second year. It is harvested when the fruits are firm and about three-fourth of the fruit has developed the color . YIELD An average yield of 45-100 q./ha. is obtained from a strawberry orchard. However, an average yield of 175-300 q./ha . may be taken from a well managed orchard.

13. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Storage, Packing and Transport After plucking the strawberries they are graded and packed immediately into shallow trays. The trays maybe made of bamboo, cardboard or paper . Fruits can be stored under cold storage for upto 10 days. If they are to be transported to distant places, then the strawberries are pre-cooled at 4⁰C within 2 hours of harvesting and then shipped in refrigerated vans.

14. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Diseases and Plant Protection The most common strawberry diseases are black root rot, red stele, leaf spot and grey mold . Red stele is caused by a fungal species named Phytophthora fragariae . Growing resistant varieties would help control the disease. One way to control black root rot is to rotate strawberry with leguminous crops. Viral diseases affecting strawberry are crinkle, dwarf and yellow edge. The most practice for avoiding these diseases is to grow resistant varieties. Strawberries are also infected by pests like cutworms and red spider mites . Spraying the field with 0.05% monocrotophos and 0.25% wettable Sulphur can control the mites. The soil must be dusted with 5% chlordane before planting to check the spread of cutworms.

15. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Disorders Albinism (lack of fruit colour during ripening) is a physiological disorder in strawberry. It is probably caused by certain climatic conditions and extremes in nutrition. Fruits remain irregularly pink or even totally white and sometimes swollen. They have acid taste and become less firm. Albino fruits are often damaged during harvesting and are susceptible to Botrytis infection and decay during storage.

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