Environmental Hurdles in East Tennessee

Jeff Martin, Master’s CandidateCrops Group- University of Tennessee

Background on Strawberry Production in High Tunnels

• Strawberry plants under high tunnels were not only better established, but also produced higher yields and quality than open field plants (Kadir et al., 2006).

• Early yields increased inside high tunnels when compared with those from open fields. Strawberry total marketable yields maximized inside high tunnels in comparison with open fields (Salam-Donoso et al., 2010).

• Producing strawberries in the fall and following spring using high tunnels resulted in higher yields than those grown in the open field (Fernandez and Ballington, 2003).

• Tomatoes grown in high tunnels contained significantly higher levels of lycopene, sugars and red color (Wszelaki and Rogers, 2009).

Background

• Six varieties– Season one varieties differ from season two– Marketability of fruits– Reasons for unmarketability

• Quality measurements– Soluble Solids– Titratable Acidity– Color– Firmness– Environmental problems causing limited progress

Season 1- Strawberry Varieties

• Spring- Day Neutral– Albion– Seascape– San Andreas

• Fall- June Bearing– Strawberry Festival – Sweet Charlie– Chandler

• 28 plants per variety• Planted staggered in

a double row 1’ apart

• High tunnels planted March 23, 2010

• Open field planted April 22, 2010

TN Weather Conditions• Spring and Fall– Extreme temperature

fluctuations– Heavy rains– Strong winds– Late frost date

• Summer– Hot and dry

• Winter– Cold and wet

Season 1 Issues

• Spring planting• Too hot, too fast• Poor pollination• Limited production• Small plants

Season 1

Season 1- Yields

Marketable Yield/Plot (lbs)

Unmarketable Yield/Plot (lbs)

VarietyHigh

TunnelsOpen Field

High Tunnels

Open Field

Albion 1.56b 0.07b 0.18b 0.2b

Seascape 2.31a 0.59a 0.46a 0.36a

San Andreas 1.12b 0.03b 0.37a 0.19b

LSD (.05) 0.69 0.10 0.20 0.08

Season 2 Adjustments

• Fall planting• Winter plant

protection• Supplemental

pollination • Earlier harvests• Increased production

Season 2- Plant Establishment• Late fall planting– Plug plants• Albion, LCN,

Strawberry Festival• October 8, 2010

– Bare-root plants• Albion, San Andreas,

Chandler• October 29, 2010

Season 2- Number of Plants per Plot

VarietyHigh Tunnels

Open FieldAlbion (B) 25.5a 27.75 aAlbion (P) 26.5a 27.25abChandler (B) 26.0a 25.25 bLCN (P) 11.5c 22.5 cSan Andreas (B) 26.75a 27.75 aStrawberry Festival (P) 20.0b 25.75abLSD (0.05) 4.4 2.2

Season 2- Overwintering

• Open Field– Agribon AG-30 and

AG-19 row cover

• High Tunnel– No row cover

Season 2- Preliminary Yields

Marketable Yield/Plot (lbs)

Marketable Yield/Plant (lbs)

Unmarketable Yield/Plant (lbs)

Variety High

TunnelsOpen Field

High Tunnels

Open Field

High Tunnels

Open Field

Albion (B) 4.3 d 1.5b 0.2 d 0.1bc 0.5 c 0.2 cAlbion (P) 10.9 ab 4.9a 0.4 b 0.2 a 1.2abc 1.2abChandler (B) 8.6abc 1.7b 0.3bc 0.1 b 1.7 a 0.5 cLCN (P) 5.2 cd 1.4b 0.4 b 0.1 c 0.3 c 0.7bc

San Andreas (B) 7.1bcd 1.8b 0.3cd 0.1bc 0.6 bc 0.3 cStrawberry Festival (P) 11.9 a 3.6a 0.6 a 0.1ab 1.6 ab 1.5 a

LSD (0.05) 3.9 1.6 0.13 0.07 1.04 0.54

Season 2- Reasons for Unmarketability

% Poor Pollination (by weight)

% Pest Damage (by weight)

% Leather Rot (by weight)

VarietyHigh

TunnelsOpen Field

High Tunnels

Open Field

High Tunnels

Open Field

Albion (B) 24 72 26 9 26 14Albion (P) 46 65 19 5 29 22Chandler (B) 46 67 19 19 29 10LCN (P) 72 90 16 9 17 0San Andreas (B) 38 71 18 15 35 14Strawberry Festival (P) 71 84 27 4 1 5

Season 2- Pollination

• One hive per high tunnel

• Six week replacement rotation

• Koppert Class C Hive

Season 2- Improvements

• Higher yields• Vigorous plants• Improved pollination• Earlier harvests

Season 2- Hail Damage

Season 2- Hail Damage

Season 2Open Field- before and after

Season 3 Adjustments

• Early to mid-September planting

• Heavier row cover – Ag-50 and Ag-30

• Replenish bumble bee hives after 4 weeks and utilize in open field

• Examine quality differences – Late fall/early winter and

spring/summer– Color, firmness, sugars, acidity,

post-harvest

Biodegradable Mulches for Specialty Crops Produced Under Protective Covers

Debra Inglis and Carol Miles (Project Directors)1;Andrew Corbin, Ana Espinola-Arredondo, Annabel Kirschner, Karen Leonas, Tom Marsh and Tom Walters1;

Doug Hayes, Bobby Jones, Jaehoon Lee, Larry Wadsworth and Annette Wszelaki2; Eric Belasco and Jennifer Moore-Kucera3; Russ Wallace4; and, Marian Brodhagen5

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SCRI Grant Award

No. 2009-51181-05897

43

Questions?