STRAWBERRY GROWER EDUCATION AND ADOPTION OF RESEARCH INNOVATIONS:

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OF PRODUCTION RECOMMENDATIONS

JEREMY PATTISON (Jeremy.pattison@driscolls.com)PENELOPE PERKINS-VEAZIE postharvest

(penelope_perkins@ncsu.edu)

GINA FERNANDEZ interim JONATHAN BAROS economics

JUSTIN MOORE media and outreach

UARK 2014 PI MEETING

SITUATION

• Reduced production in mid Atlantic states

• Postharvest shrink or loss can be high

• Economic returns erratic

Reduced Production

• Plasticulture increased yield per acre and lengthened harvest season

• Fall growing conditions for floral bud set highly variable

• Use of row covers and planting dates needs to be tailored to maximize crowns and floral buds

POSTHARVEST LIMITS

• SOUTH-MID ATLANTIC CROSSES INTO CALIFORNIA MARKET WINDOW

• LOCAL/REGIONAL HARVESTED MORE RIPE

• TIME OF HARVEST MUCH WARMER (80F VS 50 F)

• LACK OF COOLING FACILITIES FOR SMALLER GROWERS

ECONOMIC CHALLENGES

• MUCH OF ACREAGE IS SMALL (4-10A)

• LIMITS THE CONSUMER OUTLETS FOR SALES

• HIGH INPUT COSTS FOR STRAWBERRY BUT ALSO HIGH RISK IN WET YEARS

OUTPUTS

• Presentations at NC Strawberry Association, Virginia Berry Conference, preplant meetings (40-200 people at each); 150 growers reached

• Locations across NC used for plantings

• Three videos under construction

• Collection of data from Oct-May from data loggers

• Various newspaper, tv, grower magazine media outputs

OUTPUTS

• Fruit yields, marketable quality, postharvest evaluation of cultivars, selections

• Postharvest life of fruit given preharvest fruit treatments

• Economic sheet under construction for inputs and returns

INPUTS4 LOCATIONS ACROSS THE STATE

LOCAL GROWERS FARMS (SMALL AND LARGE), COLLECTING TEMPERATURE DATA

NC AND NCDA RESEARCH STATIONS1. PLANTING DATE X SELECTION/CULTIVAR (ROW COVER TRIAL):

8 COMMERCIAL CULTIVARS AND 7 SELECTIONS, 4 REPLICATESCONTROL (NO RC) AND 55/65F RC DEPLOYMENTALL DATA COLLECTED VIA LOGGERSFRUIT AND PLANT TRAITS RATED FOR FIRMNESS, DISEASE, RUNNERS, PLANT STAND, FLAVORDETERMINE FALL GROWING DEGREE DAYS

--PREHARVEST TREATMENT (CHANDLER, CAMAROSA)

INPUTS

2. PRE AND POSTHARVEST TRIALS

-CHANDLER, CAMAROSA

-SPRAY WITH NUTRICAL, PEROXYACETIC, BOTH, OR NONE (CONTROL) WEEKLY, STARTING AAT BLOOM

-HARVEST FRUIT, EVALUATE TOTAL AND MARKETABLE YIELDS, FRUIT FIRMNESS

-STORE AT 4C UNTIL VISIBLE MOLD, RATE

North Carolinaclimate zones 5 to 8 (west to east)

Laurel springs

MTNS COAST

PIEDMONT CLAYTONCASTLE HAYNE

1: Mountains2: Piedmont3: Clayton4: Castle Hayne

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

ROW COVER, GDD TRIAL:

• Clayton (planted 1 week late for area)- early row cover treatment appears to be beneficial. No differences observed between late treatment and untreated control

• Castle Hayne (normal planting date for area)- Row cover applied in spring (late Feb/Early March for 2 weeks) advanced the crop 1 week.

• Row cover applied in fall detrimental to Chandler -too many flowers and fruit resulting in a lot of small unmarketable fruit(hyperflowering); less with other varieties. May be too much heat in fall/winter with covers during flower set.

Table 1. Fall 2013 accumulated GDD (50) for Oct, Nov and Dec, the predicted yields (lbs/A) and and predicted increase in production of the treated area relative to an untreated control across NC locations.Expect larger increases with Camarosa (more cold sensitive) than with Chandler.

Location Treatment

GDD Accumulation

Predicted Yield (lb/A)

% Increase over UTC

PRS UTC 674.5 29205.0

55 709.4 31224.1 7%

65 747.5 32958.8 13%

Castle Hayne UTC 728.6 32166.1

55 733.8 32400.0 1%

65 802.5 34361.1 7%

Differences with predicted row covers in Virginia Beach, 2013

Location Treatment

GDD Accumulation

Predicted Yield (lb/A)

% Increase over UTC

VA Cullipher + 805.1 34390.0 1%

Cullipher - 780.8 33985.0

Henely + 834.3 34441.0 0%

Henely - 801.2 34346.2

Williams + 839.9 34392.4 11%

Williams - 707.4 31116.8

*different brands of row cover: Williams is Atmore and rest are Dupont

NOTE THAT VA HAD A WARMER SEASON, MAY BE LESS RESPONSE TO RC ONCE FINAL YIELDS ARE IN

ECONOMIC RETURNS/COSTS TO BE DETERMINED

POSTHARVEST TRIALS

• ABLE TO BRING TRAILER TO PLOTS, LOAD INTO 38F TEMP WITHIN 10 MIN OF HARVEST

• ONE WEEK IN STORAGE AT 38F, FRUIT FULLY RIPE AND STILL MARKETABLE

• HARVEST WILL CONTINUE 2 MORE WEEKS

POSTHARVEST KIT1. INSULATED BAG (HOLDS AND PROTECTS CONTENTS)2. REFRACTOMETER (MEASURES SUGARS)3. SCALE (MEASURE CLAMSHELL OR FRUIT TO 1.5 LB)4. ANEMOMETER (MEASURE FAN WIND SPEED)5. CALIPERS (MEASURE DIAMETER, LENGTH,

THICKNESS)6. LASER THERMOMETER (NON CONTACT TO CHECK

FRUIT TEMPERATURES IN STORAGE)7. pH PAPER (CHECK ACID LEVEL OF FRUIT)8. SHELF THERMOMETER (QUICK LOOK IN COOLER TO

SEE IF TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY ARE IN RANGE)9. CHLORINE WIPES TO CLEAN HANDS, SURFACES

WHEN TESTING10. COLD PACK (CAN REFREEZE IF NEED TO KEEP

SAMPLES COLD)11. STICK THERMOMETER (TO CHECK INTERNAL FRUIT

TEMPERATURE)12. LENS WIPES FOR REFRACTOMETER LENS13. WATER AND SUGAR (SUCROSE) TO CALIBRATE

REFRACTOMETER

1

2

3

4

5

679

108

1112

13

Cost: $300 . DYI or can purchase from NCSU (penelope_perkins@ncsu.edu)

Pack N Cool

CHANGES IN PLANS

1. Mountain location of limited use (cool & rainy fall, harsh winter, deer depradation)

2. Jeremy Pattison has moved to Driscolls in CA

-data logger data needs to be summarized

3. Loss of most experienced technical support

-learning curve, less oversight than expected

4. 2 week delay in season