Berry Basics

By Growing Produce Staff|March 17, 2011

The Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC) in Balm hosted its annual Florida Strawberry Field Day in February. More than 400 people attended the one-day event, including those attending the North American Strawberry Symposium held jointly in Tampa.

Researchers from GCREC covered a number of production topics, which were followed by plot tours featuring new varieties and pest and disease control methods.
“In addition to the great education program, we had plot tours where growers could get out into the field and see the new varieties and research at work,” says Dr. Jack Rechcigl, GCREC director.

Dr. Natalia Peres, UF/IFAS, presented an online modeling program she developed that takes into account disease factors such as rain, humidity, and wind to determine conditions conducive for the development of important strawberry diseases. The program sends growers a text or eMail alerting them conditions are ripe for disease, along with recommendations of products to apply for control. This approach allows growers to be more reactive to disease in real-time and reduces the number of applications during a season.

On the new varieties front, Dr. Vance Whitaker, UF/IFAS, informed growers about the newest varieties in development at the Center as well as the process involved in bringing a new variety to market. “I wanted to stress breeding is a year-round process that involves hybridization, seed germination, summer nursery growth, and season-long evaluation in the fruiting field,” he says. “The repetition of this cycle over many years results in gradual gains in important traits such as flavor, fruit uniformity, and early yield.”

Dr. Bielinkski Santos provided an update on the horticultural program at the Center. He presented the work being done on water management to lower the amount of water required for plant establishment using kaolin clay and low-volume sprinklers. In addition, he discussed work focused on freeze protection and methods such as high-tunnels, covers, and foams to protect berries during freeze events.