Strawberry
Strawberry is an attractive, lucious, tasty and nutritious fruit with a distinct and pleasant aroma, and delicate flavour. It has a unique place among cultivated berry fruits. Rich in vitamin C and iron, it is mainly consumed as fresh. Jam and syrup are also prepared from strawberry. It is cultivated in tropical and subtropical areas round the year. It is cultivated commercially in Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Nilgiri hills, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan. Owing to wide climatic and soil adaptation and high returns, it has tremendous potential in India. Its cultivation can be extended to other suitable areas having assured irrigation and transport facilities.
Climate and Soil
Strawberry grows well under temperate climate. Some cultivars are grown in subtropical climate also. Daylight period of 12hr or less and moderate temperatures are important for flower-bud formation. Each cultivar may have a different day length and temperature requirement. Some cultivars are adapted to septentrional culture (short days in autumn and hard winter) or to meridional conditions (long days in autumn and moderate winter). Strawberry Senga Sengana, Redgaunlet and Gorella are grown under septentrional conditions, while Tioga is an important cultivar of meridional region. It can make flower buds under longer day length. Besides, there are several day-neutral strawberries—Silva, Fern, Muir, Hecker, Tristar and Trileute—that have made their cultivation possible in different times of the year. Day-neutral strawberries are high yielders. Temperature plays a critical role in the development of strawberry at a particular place.
The strawberry can be grown on any type of soil—poor sand to heavy clay—provided proper moisture, organic matter and drainage is present. Strawberry ripens somewhat earlier on sandy soil than on clay soil. There is a definite cultivar adaptation to soils. Some grow better on heavier soils and others on light soils. Water should not stagnate in the field. Since most of its roots are found in the top 15cm soil, keep this layer porous and rich in humus. Strawberry is not much sensitive to soil reaction. However, it prefers a slight acidic soil. At higher pH, there is less root growth. There should be no underlying lime layer up to 15–20cm, otherwise it causes burning of leaves. In drier areas, alkali soils must be avoided. Thus, sandy loam to loamy soil with pH 5.7–6.5 is ideal for strawberry cultivation.
Varieties
All the cultivated varieties of strawberry are octaploid. A number of cultivars have been introduced and evaluated from time-to-time. The promising ones are:
Chandler
Fruit is of exceptionally high dessert quality with outstanding colour and flavour. It is very resistant to physical damages caused by rain. Plants are tolerant to viruses. Fruits are large, flesh and skin firm and flavour excellent. It is suitable for fresh market and processing. On an average, berry weighs 15–18g. The fruits have good TSS (12%), acidity (0.85%), vitamin C (55.5mg/100g) and sugar content (6.1%).
Tioga
An early-maturing cultivar, it is tolerant to viruses. Fruits very large, flesh and skin firm, dessert and processing quality good, TSS 12.2%, acidity 0.98% and sugar 6.2%. Average berry weighs about 9g.
Torrey
Tolerant to viruses, it produces numerous runners. Fruits large, flesh and skin medium firm, dessert quality excellent, processing quality good, TSS 12.0%, acidity 0.97% and sugars 6.1%. Average berry weighs 6.9g.
Selva
A day-neutral cultivar, it has the capacity to produce off-season fruits. It is different from day-neutral or ever bearing types. Fruits large, flesh and skin firm, conic to blocky in shape, dessert quality good. It can be handled and shipped fairly well. Skin bright red, attractive, flesh red, internally somewhat hollow, light in colour at core, average berry weighs 15–18g, TSS 11.1%, acidity 1.0% and sugar 5.5%.
Belrubi
Fruits large, conical (necked fruit), skin bright red, flesh attractive red, somewhat firm, less hollow at core, high quality, sweet, slightly subacid, average berry weigh 15g, TSS 11.8%, acidity 0.98%, sugars 6%. Plant produces adequate runners.
Fern
It is a day-neutral, early-ripening and over-bearing cultivar. Fruits large, medium, conical, solid internally, slightly hollow, skin red, flesh red, firm, flavour excellent, suitable for fresh market and processing. It tastes sweet to slightly subacidic. Average berry weighs 20–25g, TSS 11.2%, acidity 0.88% and sugars 6.1%.
Pajaro
It is very successful under summer system. Plant tolerant to virus. Fruit has good dessert and processing quality. Fruit is quite susceptible to physical damage caused by rain. Fruits large, flesh very firm, skin firm, red colour, average berry weighs 7.6g, TSS 12.2%, acidity 0.97% and sugars 5.5%.
Besides, Premier, Red Coat, Local Jeolikot, Dilpasand, Bangalore, Florida 90, Katrain Sweet, Pusa Early Dwarf and Blakemore are also grown.
Strawberry is an attractive, lucious, tasty and nutritious fruit with a distinct and pleasant aroma, and delicate flavour. It has a unique place among cultivated berry fruits. Rich in vitamin C and iron, it is mainly consumed as fresh. Jam and syrup are also prepared from strawberry. It is cultivated in tropical and subtropical areas round the year. It is cultivated commercially in Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Nilgiri hills, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan. Owing to wide climatic and soil adaptation and high returns, it has tremendous potential in India. Its cultivation can be extended to other suitable areas having assured irrigation and transport facilities.
Climate and Soil
Strawberry grows well under temperate climate. Some cultivars are grown in subtropical climate also. Daylight period of 12hr or less and moderate temperatures are important for flower-bud formation. Each cultivar may have a different day length and temperature requirement. Some cultivars are adapted to septentrional culture (short days in autumn and hard winter) or to meridional conditions (long days in autumn and moderate winter). Strawberry Senga Sengana, Redgaunlet and Gorella are grown under septentrional conditions, while Tioga is an important cultivar of meridional region. It can make flower buds under longer day length. Besides, there are several day-neutral strawberries—Silva, Fern, Muir, Hecker, Tristar and Trileute—that have made their cultivation possible in different times of the year. Day-neutral strawberries are high yielders. Temperature plays a critical role in the development of strawberry at a particular place.
The strawberry can be grown on any type of soil—poor sand to heavy clay—provided proper moisture, organic matter and drainage is present. Strawberry ripens somewhat earlier on sandy soil than on clay soil. There is a definite cultivar adaptation to soils. Some grow better on heavier soils and others on light soils. Water should not stagnate in the field. Since most of its roots are found in the top 15cm soil, keep this layer porous and rich in humus. Strawberry is not much sensitive to soil reaction. However, it prefers a slight acidic soil. At higher pH, there is less root growth. There should be no underlying lime layer up to 15–20cm, otherwise it causes burning of leaves. In drier areas, alkali soils must be avoided. Thus, sandy loam to loamy soil with pH 5.7–6.5 is ideal for strawberry cultivation.
Varieties
All the cultivated varieties of strawberry are octaploid. A number of cultivars have been introduced and evaluated from time-to-time. The promising ones are:
Chandler
Fruit is of exceptionally high dessert quality with outstanding colour and flavour. It is very resistant to physical damages caused by rain. Plants are tolerant to viruses. Fruits are large, flesh and skin firm and flavour excellent. It is suitable for fresh market and processing. On an average, berry weighs 15–18g. The fruits have good TSS (12%), acidity (0.85%), vitamin C (55.5mg/100g) and sugar content (6.1%).
Tioga
An early-maturing cultivar, it is tolerant to viruses. Fruits very large, flesh and skin firm, dessert and processing quality good, TSS 12.2%, acidity 0.98% and sugar 6.2%. Average berry weighs about 9g.
Torrey
Tolerant to viruses, it produces numerous runners. Fruits large, flesh and skin medium firm, dessert quality excellent, processing quality good, TSS 12.0%, acidity 0.97% and sugars 6.1%. Average berry weighs 6.9g.
Selva
A day-neutral cultivar, it has the capacity to produce off-season fruits. It is different from day-neutral or ever bearing types. Fruits large, flesh and skin firm, conic to blocky in shape, dessert quality good. It can be handled and shipped fairly well. Skin bright red, attractive, flesh red, internally somewhat hollow, light in colour at core, average berry weighs 15–18g, TSS 11.1%, acidity 1.0% and sugar 5.5%.
Belrubi
Fruits large, conical (necked fruit), skin bright red, flesh attractive red, somewhat firm, less hollow at core, high quality, sweet, slightly subacid, average berry weigh 15g, TSS 11.8%, acidity 0.98%, sugars 6%. Plant produces adequate runners.
Fern
It is a day-neutral, early-ripening and over-bearing cultivar. Fruits large, medium, conical, solid internally, slightly hollow, skin red, flesh red, firm, flavour excellent, suitable for fresh market and processing. It tastes sweet to slightly subacidic. Average berry weighs 20–25g, TSS 11.2%, acidity 0.88% and sugars 6.1%.
Pajaro
It is very successful under summer system. Plant tolerant to virus. Fruit has good dessert and processing quality. Fruit is quite susceptible to physical damage caused by rain. Fruits large, flesh very firm, skin firm, red colour, average berry weighs 7.6g, TSS 12.2%, acidity 0.97% and sugars 5.5%.
Besides, Premier, Red Coat, Local Jeolikot, Dilpasand, Bangalore, Florida 90, Katrain Sweet, Pusa Early Dwarf and Blakemore are also grown.
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