AgriLife Extension offers new strawberry production guide

The new “Production Guide for Texas-Grown Strawberries” a complete guide for the beginner or old pro, is now available, said its editors.

The 41-page guide is the first official publication from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service on strawberries since the 1970s, said Dr. Russ Wallace, AgriLife Extension horticulturist at Lubbock. Wallace and Dr. Juan Anciso, AgriLife Extension horticulturist at Weslaco,were co-editors on this publication, which Wallace said at least 14 specialists and researchers from Texas A&M AgriLife and Prairie View A&M University collaborated in writing.

The guide is available through the AgriLife bookstore as both a free pdf download or as hard copy for $10 each. To access or order the guide identified as publication HT-047, go to: http://www.agrilifebookstore.org/product-p/ht-047.htm.

“While the guide was written for all strawberry growers in the state, it is especially useful to small-acreage farmers interested in pursuing strawberries as a new crop either grown in high tunnels or in standard production fields,” said Wallace.

“The guide contains information on strawberry marketing and all aspects of production to better assist growers with their decisions regarding strawberries, including preplant efforts, variety selection, plant growth and development, pest management, irrigation, salinity and pH, harvesting, and on-farm handling and food safety,” he said. “Essentially, the guide offers most everything anyone would need to know to successfully raise strawberries in Texas.”

Wallace said the guide contains 21 figures and 2 tables.

Funding for the guide was provided by a grant from the Walmart Foundation and administered by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Center for Agricultural and Rural Sustainability.

Source: today.agrilife.org

Publication date: Mon 30 Jun 2014