US: SIFT and Montana State partner in strawberry trials

For the past three years, SIFT have partnered with Montana State University to trial different methods of strawberry production. The trial is testing a perennial matted-row system against annual strawberries that are planted in the fall for a quick yield the following year. While the same varieties of strawberries are used in each method, the difference between the two is that the annual strawberries are planted closer together and will be terminated after the following year's production.

Perennial matted-row strawberries on the SIFT Farm. Photo: NCAT

The study is designed to better understand the feasibility of introducing strawberries into an annual crop rotation. Annual strawberries require much less weeding and don't burden the soil over years of drawing nutrients from the ground.

The study looks at overall yield, berry size, percentage of marketable berries, and sugar content. There are two other trial sites in the surrounding valleys of Montana, and the farm is testing three different varieties, including Honeyoe, Jewel, and our variety taste-test winner, Cavendish. Though the sugar content changed quite a bit between varieties and harvest week, they saw each variety reach over 10% brix, or percent sugar content in the juice.

Last year, the perennial bed was the only test plot to produce strawberries. This is likely because SIFT used dormant strawberry crowns, rather than live plugs. The second year, live plugs were planted a few weeks earlier in a high tunnel and outside. They found that the strawberries in the high tunnel produced three weeks before the prior year's perennial strawberries and were roughly double the size.

This year, there was a late frost in June after the outdoor strawberries had blossomed, causing a significant loss to outside crops. Perennial, or matted-row strawberries, create a huge workload for weeding, which is one of the major problems; however, the high grass and weeds protected the blossoms from the frost. Conversely, the annual outdoor plot was much more exposed to the hard frost.

The annual method will only work well if you have a high tunnel and use live plugs in the fall to ensure that they are established before winter. Outside, the perennial method will likely be more successful but presents a major problem to maintain with the pressure of weeds.

Source: SIFT