Strawberries are one of America’s favorite fruits and are available in grocery stores year round. Given increased shipping and other associated costs as well as the opportunity to provide a fresh, nutritious, local product, our research team is exploring the feasibility of growing strawberries during the winter in Nebraska

Adams, Stacy A.

Conley, M. Elizabeth

Loseke, Benjamin A.

Meyer, George E.

Paparozzi, Ellen T.

Read, Paul E.

English

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University of Nebraska - Lincoln
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Agronomy & Horticulture -- Faculty Publications Agronomy and Horticulture Department
2012
Greenhouse Production of Strawberries During the
Winter
Ellen T. Paparozzi
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, etp1@unl.edu
George E. Meyer
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, gmeyer1@unl.edu
Stacy A. Adams
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, sadams1@unl.edu
M. Elizabeth Conley
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Benjamin A. Loseke
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, bloseke2@unl.edu
See next page for additional authors
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/agronomyfacpub
Part of the Agricultural Science Commons, Agriculture Commons, Agronomy and Crop
Sciences Commons, Botany Commons, Horticulture Commons, Other Plant Sciences Commons,
and the Plant Biology Commons
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Agronomy and Horticulture Department at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska -
Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Agronomy & Horticulture -- Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln.
Paparozzi, Ellen T.; Meyer, George E.; Adams, Stacy A.; Conley, M. Elizabeth; Loseke, Benjamin A.; and Read, Paul E., "Greenhouse
Production of Strawberries During the Winter" (2012). Agronomy & Horticulture -- Faculty Publications. 747.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/agronomyfacpub/747
Authors
Ellen T. Paparozzi, George E. Meyer, Stacy A. Adams, M. Elizabeth Conley, Benjamin A. Loseke, and Paul E.
Read
This article is available at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/agronomyfacpub/
747
       Greenhouse Production of  Strawberries During the Winter 
                                    Ellen T. Paparozzi, George E. Meyer, Stacy A. Adams, 
                              M. Elizabeth Conley, Benjamin A. Loseke, and Paul E. Read 
                                     Departments of Agronomy & Horticulture and Biological Systems Engineering 
        University of Nebraska-Lincoln,  Lincoln, Nebraska 68583-0724 
Introduction 
Strawberries are one of America’s favorite fruits and are available in grocery stores 
year round.  Given increased shipping and other associated costs as well as the 
opportunity to provide a fresh, nutritious, local product, our research team is 
exploring the feasibility of growing strawberries during the winter in Nebraska. 
Results  
On average, all cultivars produced less than 3 berries and 1 ounce mass per plant 
per week during December (Figures 5, 6). In January, also a prime price time, 
‘Albion’ peaked at 2 ounces and 2 berries per plant per week. In November and 
December only ‘Evie-2’+ produced more than 2 berries per week per plant. The A+ 
grade of both ‘Evie-2’ and ‘Seascape’ produced more berries and more mass of 
berries than the standard cultivar over the season. In March production peaked for 
‘Chandler’, ‘Evie-2’, Evie-2+, ‘Seascape’ and ‘Seascape”+, reaching 3-10 berries 
per plant per week and weighing 1-4 ounces. The ⁰Brix for all cultivars ranged from 
4.4-9.5 with ‘Cavendish’ at the lower end (Table 1). We anticipated that upon 
freezing the ⁰Brix would increase due to water loss. While in general this did occur, 
the change was neither dramatic nor consistent. 
Materials and Methods 
Six strawberry cultivars plus 2 that were obtained also as A+ grade were grown from 
September through mid April. Plants were potted in a soil-lite mix in 6-inch pots and grown on 
capillary mats in a double poly greenhouse. The experiment was set up as a randomized 
complete block design with two benches each with six replications for a total of 12 replications 
for up to 48 plants per cultivar. Plants were potted in mid-September and started flowering 8 
days later (September 23), but by October 31 four cultivars showed fruit phylloidy.  At that 
time, all plants showing fruit phylloidy were discarded (22 pots of ‘Portola’, 8 pots of 
‘Seascape’, 4 pots of ‘Chandler’, 1 pot of ‘Albion’) leaving 299 pots total in the experiment. 
Data taken included: date of first flower, total fruit number and berry weight per plant per 
week. Berries were deemed ripe based on color comparison between berries purchased from 
the grocery store and those on the  bench. This was standardized by using the RHS Colour 
Chart (Red Group 46). Bees (Bombus impatiens) were introduced when the first flowers 
started to open. For 5 weeks in spring, after harvesting and weighing, 50 g of berries from at 
least 32 replications were sampled immediately for ⁰Brix. Fifty grams were also frozen at -18⁰	  
C for 6 weeks and then sampled. 
Cultivars grown for this project included:  Albion*, Cavendish, 
Chandler, Evie-2*, Evie-2 A+*, Portola*, Seascape*, Seascape A+* 
                                                          *indicates day neutral cultivars 
. 
 
This research was funded in part from  
Nebraska Department of Agriculture Specialty  
Crop Block Grant Program and the USDA/CSREES  
Multistate project NE-1035 "Commercial greenhouse  
production: Component and System Development".   
Table 1.  Range of ⁰Brix for Each Cultivar 
Week 
 Cultivar 1 2 4 5 6 
Fresh  Albion  7.6-10.3  7.7-8.1 5.8-7.8 7.1-9.2 7.6-9.5 
Frozen Albion 7.5-9.3 7.0-8.3 5.8-8.4 6.1-8.2 5.7-8.6 
Fresh  Seascape 6.4-10.4 6.4-8.1 5.9-7.7 7.3 8.5 
Frozen Seascape 9.4* 6.7-8.3 5.5-7.7 5.9-7.9 8.2-9.1* 
Fresh  Chandler 6.8-8.8 6.6-7.5 4.8-6.9 7.3 0 
Frozen Chandler 6.5-8.7 5.6-7.4 5.4-6.5 6.2-7.0 6.3-7.3 
Fresh  Seascape + 8.4-9.0* 7.0-7.9* 5.8-6.6* 8.2 0 
Frozen Seascape + 0 7.2-8.4 4.0-8.3 5.9-8.5 9.0-9.5* 
Fresh  Evie-2 + 5.4-8.8 5.4-7.9 5.0-6.2 5.0-6.7 5.8-7.1 
Frozen Evie-2 + 5.7-7.4 5.4-7.1 4.6-6.0 5.4-6.2 5.6-7.2 
Fresh  Cavendish 5.2-8.5 5.0-7.0 5.4-5.8 0 0 
Frozen Cavendish 4.7-7.3 5.1-6.5 5.0-5.5* 0 0 
Fresh  Evie-2  6.1-7.8 5.1-7.1 4.8-6.3 4.6-6.6 5.7-7.3 
Frozen Evie-2 6.5-8.5 6.0-6.6 4.7-5.6 5.4-6.0 5.7-6.4 
          * only 2 replications 
0 = not enough berries available 
   Week 3:  no berries collected 
0	  
0.5	  
1	  
1.5	  
2	  
2.5	  
3	  
3.5	  
4	  
4.5	  
O
un
ce
s	  
Harvest	  Week	  
Figure	  6.	  	  Average	  Mass	  of	  Berries	  Harvested	  per	  Plant	  
2011	  -­‐	  2012	  
'Albion'	  
'Chandler'	  
'Evie-­‐2'	  
'Evie-­‐2'	  +	  
'Seascape'	  
'Seascape'	  +	  
0	  
2	  
4	  
6	  
8	  
10	  
12	  
Harvest	  Week	  
Figure	  5.	  	  Average	  Number	  of	  Berries	  Harvested	  per	  Plant	  
2011	  -­‐	  2012	  
'Albion'	  
'Chandler'	  
'Evie-­‐2'	  
'Evie-­‐2'	  +	  
'Seascape'	  
'Seascape"	  +	  
Figure 3.  Berries harvested in November. 
Figure 4.  Berries harvested in early March. 
Figure 2.  Cultivar Evie-2 + 
Figure 1.  Flowering plants in early October.  Pots are situated directly 
on capillary mats. 


Greenhouse Production of Strawberries During the Winter

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University of Nebraska - LincolnDigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - LincolnAgronomy & Horticulture -- Faculty Publications Agronomy and Horticulture Department2012Greenhouse Production of Strawberries During theWinterEllen T. PaparozziUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln, etp1@unl.eduGeorge E. MeyerUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln, gmeyer1@unl.eduStacy A. AdamsUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln, sadams1@unl.eduM. Elizabeth ConleyUniversity of Nebraska-LincolnBenjamin A. LosekeUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln, bloseke2@unl.eduSee next page for additional authorsFollow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/agronomyfacpubPart of the Agricultural Science Commons, Agriculture Commons, Agronomy and CropSciences Commons, Botany Commons, Horticulture Commons, Other Plant Sciences Commons,and the Plant Biology CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Agronomy and Horticulture Department at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska -Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Agronomy & Horticulture -- Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator ofDigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln.Paparozzi, Ellen T.; Meyer, George E.; Adams, Stacy A.; Conley, M. Elizabeth; Loseke, Benjamin A.; and Read, Paul E., "GreenhouseProduction of Strawberries During the Winter" (2012). Agronomy & Horticulture -- Faculty Publications. 747.https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/agronomyfacpub/747AuthorsEllen T. Paparozzi, George E. Meyer, Stacy A. Adams, M. Elizabeth Conley, Benjamin A. Loseke, and Paul E.ReadThis article is available at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/agronomyfacpub/747       Greenhouse Production of  Strawberries During the Winter                                     Ellen T. Paparozzi, George E. Meyer, Stacy A. Adams,                               M. Elizabeth Conley, Benjamin A. Loseke, and Paul E. Read                                      Departments of Agronomy & Horticulture and Biological Systems Engineering         University of Nebraska-Lincoln,  Lincoln, Nebraska 68583-0724 Introduction Strawberries are one of America’s favorite fruits and are available in grocery stores year round.  Given increased shipping and other associated costs as well as the opportunity to provide a fresh, nutritious, local product, our research team is exploring the feasibility of growing strawberries during the winter in Nebraska. Results  On average, all cultivars produced less than 3 berries and 1 ounce mass per plant per week during December (Figures 5, 6). In January, also a prime price time, ‘Albion’ peaked at 2 ounces and 2 berries per plant per week. In November and December only ‘Evie-2’+ produced more than 2 berries per week per plant. The A+ grade of both ‘Evie-2’ and ‘Seascape’ produced more berries and more mass of berries than the standard cultivar over the season. In March production peaked for ‘Chandler’, ‘Evie-2’, Evie-2+, ‘Seascape’ and ‘Seascape”+, reaching 3-10 berries per plant per week and weighing 1-4 ounces. The ⁰Brix for all cultivars ranged from 4.4-9.5 with ‘Cavendish’ at the lower end (Table 1). We anticipated that upon freezing the ⁰Brix would increase due to water loss. While in general this did occur, the change was neither dramatic nor consistent. Materials and Methods Six strawberry cultivars plus 2 that were obtained also as A+ grade were grown from September through mid April. Plants were potted in a soil-lite mix in 6-inch pots and grown on capillary mats in a double poly greenhouse. The experiment was set up as a randomized complete block design with two benches each with six replications for a total of 12 replications for up to 48 plants per cultivar. Plants were potted in mid-September and started flowering 8 days later (September 23), but by October 31 four cultivars showed fruit phylloidy.  At that time, all plants showing fruit phylloidy were discarded (22 pots of ‘Portola’, 8 pots of ‘Seascape’, 4 pots of ‘Chandler’, 1 pot of ‘Albion’) leaving 299 pots total in the experiment. Data taken included: date of first flower, total fruit number and berry weight per plant per week. Berries were deemed ripe based on color comparison between berries purchased from the grocery store and those on the  bench. This was standardized by using the RHS Colour Chart (Red Group 46). Bees (Bombus impatiens) were introduced when the first flowers started to open. For 5 weeks in spring, after harvesting and weighing, 50 g of berries from at least 32 replications were sampled immediately for ⁰Brix. Fifty grams were also frozen at -18⁰	  C for 6 weeks and then sampled. Cultivars grown for this project included:  Albion*, Cavendish, Chandler, Evie-2*, Evie-2 A+*, Portola*, Seascape*, Seascape A+*                                                           *indicates day neutral cultivars .  This research was funded in part from  Nebraska Department of Agriculture Specialty  Crop Block Grant Program and the USDA/CSREES  Multistate project NE-1035 "Commercial greenhouse  production: Component and System Development".   Table 1.  Range of ⁰Brix for Each Cultivar Week  Cultivar 1 2 4 5 6 Fresh  Albion  7.6-10.3  7.7-8.1 5.8-7.8 7.1-9.2 7.6-9.5 Frozen Albion 7.5-9.3 7.0-8.3 5.8-8.4 6.1-8.2 5.7-8.6 Fresh  Seascape 6.4-10.4 6.4-8.1 5.9-7.7 7.3 8.5 Frozen Seascape 9.4* 6.7-8.3 5.5-7.7 5.9-7.9 8.2-9.1* Fresh  Chandler 6.8-8.8 6.6-7.5 4.8-6.9 7.3 0 Frozen Chandler 6.5-8.7 5.6-7.4 5.4-6.5 6.2-7.0 6.3-7.3 Fresh  Seascape + 8.4-9.0* 7.0-7.9* 5.8-6.6* 8.2 0 Frozen Seascape + 0 7.2-8.4 4.0-8.3 5.9-8.5 9.0-9.5* Fresh  Evie-2 + 5.4-8.8 5.4-7.9 5.0-6.2 5.0-6.7 5.8-7.1 Frozen Evie-2 + 5.7-7.4 5.4-7.1 4.6-6.0 5.4-6.2 5.6-7.2 Fresh  Cavendish 5.2-8.5 5.0-7.0 5.4-5.8 0 0 Frozen Cavendish 4.7-7.3 5.1-6.5 5.0-5.5* 0 0 Fresh  Evie-2  6.1-7.8 5.1-7.1 4.8-6.3 4.6-6.6 5.7-7.3 Frozen Evie-2 6.5-8.5 6.0-6.6 4.7-5.6 5.4-6.0 5.7-6.4           * only 2 replications 0 = not enough berries available    Week 3:  no berries collected 0	  0.5	  1	  1.5	  2	  2.5	  3	  3.5	  4	  4.5	  Ounces	  Harvest	  Week	  Figure	  6.	  	  Average	  Mass	  of	  Berries	  Harvested	  per	  Plant	  2011	  -­‐	  2012	  'Albion'	  'Chandler'	  'Evie-­‐2'	  'Evie-­‐2'	  +	  'Seascape'	  'Seascape'	  +	  0	  2	  4	  6	  8	  10	  12	  Harvest	  Week	  Figure	  5.	  	  Average	  Number	  of	  Berries	  Harvested	  per	  Plant	  2011	  -­‐	  2012	  'Albion'	  'Chandler'	  'Evie-­‐2'	  'Evie-­‐2'	  +	  'Seascape'	  'Seascape"	  +	  Figure 3.  Berries harvested in November. Figure 4.  Berries harvested in early March. Figure 2.  Cultivar Evie-2 + Figure 1.  Flowering plants in early October.  Pots are situated directly on capillary mats. 

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Greenhouse Production of Strawberries During the Winter

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