Climate and Soil of Strawberry

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.