How to do Strawberry Cultivation

Expert Articles

FarmRise Team, Dec 05, 2022

Strawberry cultivation is proving to be beneficial in improving the economic condition of the farmers, earlier it could be cultivated only in the hilly and cold parts, but after increasing commercial value and research, now it is being cultivated in the plains also. Earlier it was cultivated only in Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, but now many farmers of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh are now successfully cultivating it. strawberries fruit is enriched with vitamin ‘C, iron, potassium, and fiber. & total of 600 varieties is available in the world. It is widely used as an essence in food items, jam ice cream, chocolates, cakes, and cosmetics and hence remains in demand throughout the year. Strawberry plants need moderate temperature, so it is sown from September to October, but strawberry cultivation can be done in greenhouses throughout the year, the quality and quantity of fruits compared to normal cultivation in the greenhouse get much better.

Strawberry varieties

Although most varieties of strawberries in the country have been developed outside India, it gives superior results in the country as well, some of the popular varieties are as follows.

Sweet Charlie

Sweet Charlie strawberry plants need sunlight, these plants give good yield in moist, well-drained soil which is rich in organic matter, they are sensitive to drought, hence irrigation is necessary. It starts flowering 30 to 40 days after planting.

Vibrant

It is one of the best early varieties, which starts fruiting early in the season. Its fruits are large, tasty, shapely, and firm and it is a frost and disease-resistant variety.

Camaroza

Strawberry is an early short-day variety, producing large to exceptionally large, firm, dark red fruits. It is disease resistant and can tolerate temperatures up to 30 C, plants grow up to 12 to 16 inches. And after 50 days of planting the fruit starts to appear.

Soil quality and land preparation

Best suited for strawberry cultivation, get the soil of your field-tested, which can be used to estimate the right amount of nutrients required for the crop, for strawberry cultivation, the temperature is 18 to 30 C. It is beneficial. Soil with PH 5.0 - 6.5 is considered good for strawberry cultivation, if the field has sandy loam soil, then the yield of strawberries in your field can be doubled. while plowing one acre, 7 - 8 tonnes of well-rotted manure, 200 Kg of neem cake, and the required quantity of potash and phosphorus should be used as per soil test.

Preparation of beds for strawberry cultivation

After adding manure, bed preparation is an important part., the bed height minimum of 25- cm. The width should be kept at 100 to 120 cm. & keep 50 to 80 cm. Distance between two beds. which is easy for work and installation of drip irrigation. along with this, the bed should be covered with black mulch, which should reduce the effect of weeds and retain soil moisture, 80 mm mulch and make holes for planting at a distance of 1 foot If the farmer does not have facilities for mulching, then the residue of paddy can be used, and if there is no drip irrigation facility, then irrigation can be done by filling water between two beds.

Planting

Ready plants are used for strawberry cultivation, It is not prepared directly from seeds, the plant should be bought from your nearest government agricultural institution, laboratory, or trusted nursery, its plants can be purchased at the rate of 5 to 20 rupees per plant, about 5000 - 5500 plants can be planted in one acre. Also almost in all the states, the government gives a grant of 40 to 60 percent for this. For more information contact the Department of Agriculture.

Planting time and spacing

If you do not have a greenhouse facility, then it should be done between 10 September to 15 October but if the temperature is high then planting can be carried forward accordingly. Planting distance varies according to variety, which ranges from 30 cm to 1 ft, planting should not be done too deeply, and mulch should be used, which should reduce the problem of diseases and weeds.

Irrigation

Irrigation at the right time is important in the cultivation of strawberries, so you should do it on time, the first irrigation should be done immediately after planting. When the fruits of strawberries start coming, then irrigation should be done by the fountain method, when the fruit comes then drip irrigation should be used again. If an irrigation facility is not available, then irrigation should be done by giving water between two beds as per the present weather.

Use of Low Tunnel

Farmers who do not have a Greenhouse facility should use low tunnels. Therefore, a transparent foil of 100 to 200 microns should be used, using iron wire or bamboo to make a low tunnel. Cover the bed with foil at night to protect the crop from frost and freezing and remove it during the day.

Disease and pest prevention

To prevent root-related diseases, use neem cake while preparing the bed, it can be used later also by putting it in the roots of plants. Apart from this, the crop can be affected by leaf spot disease, mildew, and fungus. For this, by identifying plant diseases from time to time, Use insecticides according to the advice of the agronomist.

Right time of harvest and production

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