strawberry season extension techniques: “lessons gained in quebec”
TRANSCRIPT
Strawberry Season Extension
Techniques
“Lessons gained in Quebec”
Gérard Thébeau P.Ag.
NBDAAF, Bouctouche
ACORN – November 13, 2014
Table of content
• Traditional system (matted row)
• Why consider season extension options?
• Season extension options using the following tools:
- Cultivars; Day length
- Plant “seedling” types
- Growing systems
• Most commonly used season extension systems
• Marketing
• Acknowledgements
Traditional Matted Row System
• Use dormant bare roots.
• Single rows planted on bare ground with
60 inch row spacing / runners will fill row
(5000 plants/ acre)
• Establishment year without harvest
• 2 – 3 harvest years with renovations.
• Lower cost, well adapted to U-Pick
• Expensive harvest for retail, lower prices
Traditional Matted Row System
• Early to late short day cultivars
• Can increase earliness of harvest with
floating cover in the spring.
• Can harvest 8 - 10 T/Ha in first harvest yr.
Yields usually go down afterwards
• Pests cause major headaches.
• Long period before return on investment.
• Often used where land is plentiful.
Why consider
season extension options?
• New markets
• Better labour use
• Quicker return on investments
• Fewer pests (weeds, insects & diseases)
• Better land utilization
• $$$$$$ (off-season markets)
How to modify harvest season?
1- Cultivars
2- Plant « seedling » types
3- Day length - Short-day vs Day-neutral
4- Growing systems
SELECT, COMBINE & MANAGE THESE
SEASON EXTENSION TOOLS TO FIT YOUR
BUSINESS NEEDS
1- Cultivars
1) Early, mid, late seasons
2) Adapted to various climates and soils
3) Different characteristics (taste, firmness,
disease resistance, appearance, yield,
climate & soil adaptability…)
Dormant bare root plant
http://novafruit.ca/en/fraises/plants.php
Fresh plug plants
http://novafruit.ca/en/fraises/plants.php
Dormant plug plants
http://novafruit.ca/en/fraises/plants.php
Large fresh or dormant plants
(trayplants)
http://novafruit.ca/en/fraises/plants.php
Some plant plug sources
• Ferme Onésime Pouliot:
http://savoirfaire.iledorleans.com/fra/product
eurs/ferme-onesime-pouliot.asp
• Nova Fruits http://www.novafruit.ca/
• Pépinière Larreault: http://www.lareault.com/
• Johnny’s Seed:
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-247-
strawberries.aspx
* Plugs should be ordered in advance
Some other bare root suppliers
in Nova Scotia • G.W. Allen (http://gwallennursery.com/wp-
content/uploads/2014/09/ComptableStraw.
pdf )
• Kelly Nursery Inc.
(http://nasga.org/members/nurseries/cana
da/keddy.htm)
• Balamore Farm Ltd. (http://balamore.com )
3 - Growing systems: Other season extension tools:
• Bare ground (traditional)
• Raised beds plasticulture (High density)
• Floating covers (low & high plant density)
• Unheated caterpillar and high tunnels
• Heated greenhouses
Short Day Strawberry
• Plants that produce fruit buds when days are
short or when photo-periods are 13 hours or
less.
• Thus, fruit buds are produced in less light and
colder temperatures
• Produce daughter plants (runners) when days
are long.
Systems based on the following
tools:
• Cultivars
• Plant (seedling) types
• ‘‘Other techniques’’ (bare ground,
plasticulture..)
• Short day & day neutral plants
Plasticulture technique –
General Info
• Modifications to traditionnal techniques
are necessary to be successful.
Fresh plug plants / short day
http://novafruit.ca/en/fraises/plants.php
Early Spring Harvest using Short day/Plasticulture/ Fresh plugs/ Row cover
Care required to make 8
inch hills 45,000 plants / ha or
18,000 plants /acre
Early Spring Harvest using Short day/Plasticulture/
Fresh plugs/ Row cover
• Planting date: late Aug – early Sept
• Early planting: More vegetation/ More yield/
Later crop
• Later planting: Less vegetation / Less yield /
Earlier crop
• Later planting: Frees up land longer - Can use
land for short season crops & offers more time
for site preparation.
Field preparation – Short day
Plasticulture/ F. plugs/ Row cover
• Fertily before making beds
- Conventional: 1/3 of normal recommendation
- Organic: compost + N rich material (all upfront)
• Make beds: mid-Aug / Early Sept
• Trickle irrigation under plastic
• Fertigate weekly @ 3 lbs / N (Conv.) Start fertilize
for 4 – 5 X until about 20 total N.
• Some will monitor fertility needs with salt test.
• Use greenhouse liquid / soluble fertilizers (Ca
NO3 , KSO4)
• 1st frost forecast (-2 ºC): White fabric floating
cover ( 1 X P-40 or 2 P-17)
• Extend fruit initation period.
• Many will lift cover to add straw + re-apply
floating cover for winter protection
• Following spring: Move straw in between rows
and re-apply floating cover until 10% bloom
• Frost control….
• Bees, fertility program.
Short day -Plasticulture / Fresh
plugs/ Row cover
Short day / Plasticulture / Fresh
plugs / Row Cover
• Harvest – Early June for 4-5 week period.
• 10 – 15 tonnes / ha of fruit of excellent
quality
• Organic production….. (annual production)
Renovation for Short day / Plasticulture
/ Fresh plugs / with few weeds
• Stop fertilizing close to end of harvest. (Let
runners run down mother plant)
• Mow once harvest is done just above crown
hearts.
• Remove runners just before fruits bud initiation
at the end of August
• Start fertilize with 3-4 kg / ha N per week for 4-5
X until about 20 total N once days get 13 hrs.
and less of photoperiod.
• Straw / No floating cover
Renovation for Short day / Plasticulture
/ Fresh plugs / with lots of weeds
• Stop fertilizing close to end of harvest. (Let
runners run down mother plant)
• Address weed problems before August 10.
• While weeding, trim old foliage with pruning
shears to leave about 5 trifoliate leaves. This
technique requires about 1000 hrs / ha (Extra 5
tonnes / ha compared to just mowing..)???
• Remove runners at the end of August
• Start fertilize at 3 – 4 kg / ha per week from mid-
August on for 4 – 5 X until about 20 total N
• Straw / No floating cover
Short day cultivars /
Plasticulture / Fresh plugs
• Next Spring: Remove straw
• Frost protection
• 2nd year harvest: Not as early & not as late
harvest as 1st harvest.
• 10 – 12 tonnes / ha (acceptable fruit size –
somewhat smaller fruit)
• Clery – Favourite ; good calibre, good
taste, orangy dark (protected cultivar)
• Tried Veestar: Size goes down quick?
• Chambly – interior color?
Short day cultivars /
Plasticulture / Fresh plugs
Day Neutral Strawberries
• Capacity to produce flowers continously
(indifferent to day length)
• Form fruit buds at any day length as long
as temperatures are favourable.
• Don’t produce as many runners
• More suitable for high density plantings
Fall Harvest using
Plasticulture / Day Neutral /
Bare roots / Spring planted
• Plant as early as possible using bare root
plants (usually early May) ( a few use dormant
plants)
• Few (if any) organic growers in Québec use this
system mainly because of pest issues in the fall
(tarnished plant bug, Spotted wing drosophila,
gray mold, powdery mildew…)
• Weekly fertilization program for conventional
system…
Fall Harvest using
Plasticulture / Day neutral /Dormant
bare roots / Spring planted • Plantation done mainly by hand . (3000 plants/
day/ person) a few use machine with plug plants
• Remove blossoms until plants reach 5 to 6 trifoliate leaves + cut runners a few times.
• Prefered cultivar: Albion; Seascape (Powdery Mildew susceptible)
• Spacing: 11 X 12 inch + 52 inches between rows (center to center).
• Plant density : 45,000 plants / ha
• Plastic 1.25 mil thickness
Fall Harvest using
Plasticulture / Day Neutral /Dormant
Bare roots / Spring planted
• Will produce harvest during fall of spring planting
year; Usually from about mid-July to mid-October.
• In Québec, very seldom keep plants a second year.
• Irrigation needs - tensiometers.
• Overhead irrigation used for frost control.
Plasticulture / Day Neutral/ Dormant
Bare root spring planting /
Fall harvest
• 60% of harvest is done between August 10th and
September 10th. Peak : August 20th.
• Harvest: 20 to 30 tonnes/ ha is possible.
– (1 lb/ plant!?)
• Never leave contaminated berries in field.
• Not meant for U¨Pick
• Average yield in other provinces might be lower…
Fall Harvest using
Plasticulture / Day Neutral /Dormant
Bare roots / Spring planted
• Conventional system: fertigation 1X per week.
• Windbreaks are useful.
• Supplemental bees are recommended
• Straw between rows for better fruit quality…
Plasticulture - Day Neutral
Strawberries
• Annual cost is more $$$$$
• Some pest pressure (less weeds & insect
pressure)
• Tarnished plant bugs, Spotted wing
drosophila, Powdery Mildew and grey mold
can affect yields.
• Winter protection is not necessary.
Plasticulture - Day Neutral
Strawberries
• A lot of attention to details is necessary;
therefore limiting who can produce.
Plasticulture
• Last season extension system example:
Plasticulture - Day Neutral –
Fall planted / Fresh plugs -
Fall crop
Plasticulture - Day Neutral –
Fall planted / Fresh plugs -
Fall crop • Fresh plugs planted in August / September
• Weekly fertigation feedings
• Floating cover for frost protection & extend
fruit bud initiation. + straw??
• Very early harvest in June (up to 15
tonnes / ha) excellent quality!!
• Dormant period / 2nd harvest – Late July till
mid-October (up to 15 tonnes/ ha of
medium quality fruit!!)
Matted row - Traditional
• Better adapted to U-Pick.
• Smaller investment.
• Longer time before ROI.
• More pest pressure.
• Land tied longer.
• Less technical
Plasticulture
• Easier picking reducing
labour by as much as
50% (retail market)
• Better price off-season
• Higher yields/ fruit size
• Lower pest incidence
• Quicker ROI
• Higher investments
required
• Better land use.
• More technical.
Comparisons
Plasticulture Comparisons
Early Harvest/ Short Day plugs/
Fall planting
• Less pest pressure -
Possibility to do an
organic production and
one early harvest.
• Conventional: Possibility
to harvest 2 seasons for a
total yield of 20 – 30
tonnes/ ha
Fall Harvest/ Day neutral/ bare
roots/ Spring planting
• More pest pressure –
Organic production
difficult
• Big harvest in one longer
harvest with 20 – 30
tonne / ha (organic
fertility)
Plasticulture
Short day vs Day neutral Comparisons
Early Harvest/ Short Day plugs/
Fall planting
• Less pest pressure -
Possibility to do an
organic production and
one very early harvest.
• Conventional: Possibility
to harvest 2 seasons for a
total yield of 20 – 30
tonnes/ ha
Fall Harvest/ Day neutral bare
roots/ Spring planting
• More pest pressure –
Organic production
difficult
• Big harvest in one longer
harvest with 20-30 t / ha
(organic fertility)
Take home message for organic growers:
• Plasticulture helps deter weeds.
However, organic fertilization must be front loaded
• Row covers for season extension help deter insect pest such as
Tarnished Plant Bug and Clipper Weevils.
However, they must be removed at bloom time
• Early harvest systems (short day cultivars) /
Annual production systems offer more opportunities,
less pressure from diseases such as powdery mildew
and gray mold.
• Day neutral varieties not very compatible with organic
production. No (few) effective tools to control insects and
diseases which build up over time.
http://www.novafruit.ca/fraises/systemes/view.php?id=9
Season Extension
Technologies Strawberries • New marketing is necessary / Not for U-
Pick!!!
• Increase fruit size & quality /Small fruits can be sold for processing markets.
• Marketing of different « product »: 2x better retail price than conventionnal.??
• Typical markets : roadside stands, restaurants, Farmers’ markets and wholesalers. Sell in pint containers, quarts and 8 lbs clam shells.
“Off-season” Strawberries –
Marketing Summary
• Most successful growers are the ones that
market their produce near big centers; who
specializes.
"20 years ago, we had 20 different varieties in
only one production system, today we have 20
ways to grow the same variety“
(Peter Vinson, England)
Acknowledgements
• Jacques Painchaud; Luc Urbain – MAPAQ
• John Lewis – Perennia
• Ferme Talfort; Ferme J-Y Gamelin; Ferme des
Ormes; Ferme de la Berceuse; Potager André
Samson; Ferme René Fontaine; * Paul & Sandy
Arnols (NY State)
• Nova-Fruits ;
• ACORN – Theresa Richards & Tara Scott
• NBDAAF – Claude Berthélémé, Roger
Tremblay