05/24/1993

Strawberry Field Day Highlights High Value Crop

CLANTON, Ala. - Strawberries not only taste great, they may provide a fruitful opportunity for Alabama producers interested in growing a high value crop.

That's the word from researchers who conducted a Strawberry Field Day recently at the Chilton Area Horticulture Substation (CAHS) in Clanton. The Field Day featured the latest results of research underway at the Substation, an outlying research unit of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station (AAES) at Auburn University.

David Himelrick, associate professor of horticulture at Auburn, told the more than 30 people attending the Field Day that strawberries are an "untapped resource" for Alabama. A primary reason for this potential is the development of the annual hill plasticulture cultivation system.

Himelrick explained that this system involves planting strawberries into raised beds that are covered with black plastic. Irrigation lines usually are laid under the plastic, and plants are planted in the fall into holes punched in the plastic. This system causes plants to come into production earlier in the spring, which allows producers to get fruit to market sooner and also helps evade disease problems associated with hot weather later in the season.

Unlike the traditional matted-row system, in which strawberries are grown as a perennial crop mulched with straw, plasticulture berries are grown as an annual crop and are replanted each year.

"We are always looking for high value crops for Alabama producers, and strawberries are a prime example of this. It is not a demanding crop and you don't have to be a full-time farmer to grow them on this annual hill plasticulture system," he said.

"The bottleneck in the past for growing strawberries under this system has been the equipment needed to make the hills and lay the plastic," Himelrick said. However, a cooperative effort among the AAES, Alabama Cooperative Extension Service, and the Tennessee Valley Authority is helping provide necessary equipment to producers.

With this hurdle cleared, Himelrick said research is exploring various ways to make plasticulture strawberry production more profitable. He noted that plants are freshly-dug, bare-root plants typically obtained from nurseries in Canada and California. One problem with these plants is that they must be planted shortly after they arrive, which can rush producers.

Studies at the CAHS and other locations in Alabama are looking at ways to manage these plants and also at new plant options. One such option is the use of plug plants that are grown in small containers, much like bedding plants. Plug plants are easy to plant and can be planted mechanically. In addition, these plants are not as perishable as the bare-root plants and provide more flexibility for planting.

A study comparing the production of plug plants to freshly-dug bare-root plants suggest that plug plants perform as well or better than bare-root plants.

Another study at the Substation is exploring the propagation of plants from runner tips. Tim Crawford, research associate in horticulture who is managing the study, explained that runner tips are the daughter plants that develop from the original parent plants. These tips can be cut from the parent plant and used for plug plants. Crawford's study is evaluating the impact that size of the runner tips and also prolonged cold storage have on the productivity of these plants.

Early results suggest that long-term cold storage (30, 60 and 90 days) may have an effect on plants. In addition, the size of the runners also may affect productivity.

"We are seeing some differences in response, but there is a lot of our season to go yet and these results are preliminary," he said. "We are a long way from knowing for sure what will work."

Mike Patterson, associate professor of agronomy and soils at Auburn, provided information on weed control strategies for strawberry production. He said nonchemical controls, such as rotating strawberries with other crops is helpful. Selecting a site that is relatively weed-free also is important for good control, he added.

Arlie Powell, professor of horticulture at Auburn, discussed fertility programs for strawberries. "There are as many different ways to fertilize strawberries as there are people doing it," he said. "What is the right way? Growers can't agree, but there is a system that seems to be successful for plasticulture."

Powell said that incorporating much of the fertilizer into the ground before planting and applying additional fertilizer through the irrigation system seems to be especially effective.

The Field Day also included a tour of the Substation research plots, led by Substation Superintendent Jim Pitts and Associate Superintendent Kenneth Short. A Fruit and Vegetable Field Day will be held at the Substation July 1.

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News from:

Office of Ag Communications & Marketing

Auburn University College of Agriculture
Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station
3 Comer Hall, Auburn University
Auburn, AL 36849
334-844-4877 (PHONE) 334-844-5892 (FAX)

Contact Jamie Creamer, 334-844-2783 or jcreamer@auburn.edu
Contact Katie Jackson, 334-844-5886 or smithcl@auburn.edu

May 24, 1993