subject: The cultivation of Strawberies [print this page] The cultivation of Strawberies The cultivation of Strawberies
By Ghulam Mohyuddin Wani ,BVSC AND AH Gold medallist MVSc,ARS PhD,DVM (Germany)
Gazanfer The cultivation of Strawberies
wani MBBS ,GOLDMEDALIST
PARAS WANI ,BUMS,MD Goldmedalist
The present day garden strawberry has its origin in Britteny France.It was the farmer named Ahmedee Frncosis Frizer in 1740 .He crossed the French woodland strawberries collected and domesticated with a better variety from chille and argentines,where the leaders in the trade then.
Thus the present day garden strawberry is a cross between the Fragana virgianiana with Fragana chilecensis.The objective of this garden experiment was to capture the flavour of the South American varieties to use for the industrial products.
WHAT IS STRAWBERRY
Some wrongly call it afruit.Unfortunatly some of the horticultural associated people catagorize it as a fruit.Infact it is a false fruit as it does not arise from the ovaries but from the receptacle .Thus at the best it is an accessory fruit and not a true fruit.
Cultivation methods
1. Natural ground cultivation
2. Mordern plasticulture
3. Compost socks
NATURAL GROUND CULTIVATION
The soil is arranged into moulds .Crop is cultivated through planting runners .They may lost for 2 -3 years,Yields are low and decline with every passed year.
MORDERN PLASTICULTURE
This is the method of commercial cultivaters who produce strawberries on a large scale and use it for industirial uses.The soil is arranged in raised beds .The bed is fumigatd and covered with black plastic cover to avoid diseases and weeds.Runners are planted through making holes in the plastic.Nursery is raised separately and individual runners are planted.
It is an costlier method of production and is a commercial method which has huge employment opportunities and prospects of huge profits too.It has to be supplemented with industrial backup for use as flavouring agent , packed shipments ,exports and for use in other products for natural flavouring .It is a single year method of cultivation and needs a change of the ground plastic every year and all materials are replaced every year.It fetches bumper crops with more cost per unit of production.
COMPOST SOCKS
This is a new modern way of cultivation encompassing the use of higher oxygen radical absorbance capacity .This method is flavour centric and of more commercial value.The addition of flavanoids,anthycyanoids,fructose, glucose,suurose,malic acid,citric acid etc.Two research stations ,one at Beltville Resaerch Station,Maryland,USA.These stations of advanced research have been successful in advocating new cultivars which do flower during all weathers and seasons like short ,long,photoperiod neutral seasons.Thus the old necessity of 8 hrs sunshine for 10 days can be mitigated.The traditional temperate nature of the crop has already been overcome.The new Calfornia university evolved variety of Fragaria anoannassa chader is a short day variety.
