Why These New Strawberries Are Ideal for Greenhouse Production
October 22, 2020 Strawberries have become one of the most popular options for controlled-environment growers looking to add a new crop to their mix. The University of Florida (UF) has been active in evaluating new varieties best suited for greenhouse production.
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According to Vance M. Whitaker, a strawberry breeding and genetics specialist at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’ Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, these trials often start in high tunnels.
“The two University of Florida strawberry varieties that have performed best under commercial high-tunnel systems are ‘Florida Radiance’ and ‘Florida Beauty’,” Whitaker says. “Because both of these varieties have pollinated well and have otherwise performed very well in protected culture and hydroponic systems in Europe, they are likely to also perform well in greenhouse production.”
Videos and Extension fact sheets on these and other varieties are available here.
‘Florida Radiance’ is a short-day cultivar that has very high yields in winter and early spring production. It has been a standard in the Spanish industry for years and has been very adaptable to all kinds of production systems around the world.
‘Florida Beauty’ is a day-neutral variety that does well in off-season production but also can be used for summer production in cooler climates. It also has a very compact plant that is helpful when trying to establish high plant densities.
Another variety to consider in greenhouse production, Whitaker says, is UF’s latest release, ‘Florida Brilliance’.
“This short-day variety has very nice fruit quality and yield, but it is not as well-tested in protected culture systems as the previous two varieties,” Whitaker says. “In some trials, it has not pollinated well in high tunnels. However, the observed inconsistent pollination seems to be linked to low light and stagnant air during cold, rainy weather. In greenhouse systems where air movement is constant and sunlight is more abundant, this variety could potentially perform very well. It is quite heat-tolerant. It is currently the leading variety in the Florida industry and therefore probably deserves further testing in other regions and production systems.”
Learn more about UF’s Strawberry Breeding Program here.
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