Chapter 16. Strawberry Production
Vance M. Whitaker, Nathan S. Boyd, Natalia A. Peres, Johan Desaeger, Joseph W. Noling, and
Sriyanka Lahiri
Botany and Planting
Strawberry - Fragaria x ananassa, Rosaceae.
Table 16.1. Planting information for strawberries.
Planting dates
North Florida Sept 15 - Oct 15
Central Florida Sept 25 - Oct 20
South Florida Oct 1 - Nov 1
Planting information (2-row beds)
Distance between beds (in) 48 - 60
Distance between plants (in) 12-16
Distance between rows (in) 12 - 14
25 - 50
Plant populations (acre) 16,000-22,000
Cultivars
1. MAIN CULTIVARS
Florida Brilliance. Released in 2017. Large fruit size, uniform conic
shelf-life; externally very glossy red; light red internally; moderately resistant
upright with long stems allowing ease of harvest; does not require high N
applications as for ‘Florida Radiance’ and ‘Florida Beauty’. Fruit can develop
weak skin during hot periods in mid-late season, and N rates should be
reduced to counteract this possible problem. Recommended planting dates
in Central Florida are Oct 1-15. Resistant to anthracnose fruit rot and Colletotrichum
crown rot; moderately susceptible to angular leaf spot; moderately
susceptible to Botrytis fruit rot; moderately resistant to powdery mildew and
charcoal rot; susceptible to Phytophthora root rot.
Florida Radiance. Released in 2008. Medium size, uniform, conic
fruit with glossy appearance; glossy-red external color, and medium red
to medium plant vigor with open canopy; long fruit stems giving excel-
Colletotrichum crown rot; moderately susceptible to angular leaf spot, with
symptoms particularly noticeable on the calyx; susceptible to Botrytis fruit
rot; highly susceptible to Phytophthora root rot: take precautions against
Phytophthora as recommended for ‘Florida Radiance’. With earlier planting
dates, exposure to high temperatures during the establishment period can
result in the development of elongated or “bullet” fruit in the early harvest
until mid-Dec. This problem will be reduced with planting dates closer to the
middle of October.
Sweet Sensation Florida127. Released in 2013. Very large fruit
size, moderately uniform conic to broad-conic fruit, bright-red with lighter
color than other cultivars. During cool weather a longer interval between
harvests compared to other cultivars is usually necessary to allow optimum
Brix higher and slightly lower acidity than ‘Florida Brilliance’; susceptible to
rain damage. The plant is vigorous, which may be an advantage in North
Florida but in Central Florida may require reduced nutrient applications early
in the season and/or later planting dates to maintain a small plant size.
Recommended planting dates in Central Florida are Oct 10-20. Resistant to
anthracnose fruit rot and Colletotrichum crown rot; moderately resistant to
charcoal rot (caused by Macrophomina phaseolina); moderately susceptible
to angular leaf spot; susceptible to Botrytis fruit rot and powdery mildew
(caused by Podosphaera aphanis); highly susceptible to Phytophthora root
rot; take precautions against Phytophthora as recommended for ‘Florida
Brilliance’.
Florida Beauty. Released in 2016. Medium fruit size, excellent conic
-
ond only to Sweet Sensation® ‘Florida127’; excellent resistance to rain
it is recommended to trim bloom after establishment and a second time
when trimming leaves, a practice that produces larger fruit size and quality
throughout the season. In Central Florida, early and total yields are similar
to ‘Florida Radiance’. Recommended planting dates in Central Florida are
Sept 25 - Oct 5. Even earlier planting dates may help to produce a vigorous
plant in North Florida. In all regions, high early-season N rates similar to
‘Florida Radiance’ are recommended as the plant is not as vigorous as for
‘Florida Brilliance’ or Sweet Sensation®. Susceptible to anthracnose fruit rot
and Colletotrichum crown rot; susceptible to Botrytis fruit rot and powdery
mildew; moderately resistant to Phytophthora root rot.
2. MINOR CULTIVARS
Strawberry Festival. Released in 2000. Due to later onset of production
and smaller fruit size compared to the main varieties ‘Strawberry Festival’
has been largely phased out of production in Hillsborough County. Yet it
with excellent red color inside and out. Focus disease management on
Colletotrichum fungi.
Winterstar™ ‘FL 05-107’. Released in 2011. Winterstar™ has a very
early onset of fruit production, but fruit size can be more variable than for
the main varieties. It has a compact plant that is easy to manage. Focus
disease management on Botrytis fruit rot and Phytophthora root rot.