The selection of a strawberry variety should start with an understanding of the requirements in the market or markets being aimed at. This should be the main factor in determining variety selection.

The major market segments are:-

Fresh Export

The main export markets historically are USA, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and Australia. In USA and Australia, the demand is for varieties with bright, medium red skin colour. Flesh colour is relatively unimportant, while size preference is for large fruit which should have a shelf life of at least 7 days after arrival. Firmness is therefore a major consideration. There is also a specialist market in the USA for stem berries where the demand is for very large fruit with a long stem. The fruit is dipped in chocolate so skin colour and flavour are not particularly important.

In Japan, two main markets exist. The first is the catering trade, where the fruit is mostly used for cake decoration. The requirements are for even, medium sized fruit with bright, medium red, skin colour. Berries must be able to retain the brightness after 5 days.

The second market, the fresh dessert trade, is very demanding. The requirement is for medium to large, evenly sized fruit with bright red skin, evenly red flesh, especially sweet and with an almost aromatic flavour. A near perfect skin finish is also needed and the fruit must look perfect on arrival and at point of sale. There are indications that there is increasing demand for "American" type fruit in the dessert trade with demand for varieties like Chandler.

Processing Market

There is both export and local demand for processed strawberries used as dairy food flavouring and in jams. The requirements do vary, in many cases depending on what the particular processor is used to. There is a general swing to fruit with redder flesh but there are no other specific berry requirements, other than for particular end uses.

As processing fruit normally sells for much less than fresh fruit, high yields, easy harvesting and calyx removal are essential to make money from processed strawberries.

Pick-Your-Own, Gate sales, Local market

For many people, this is a major market for their strawberries. Quality requirements are increasing as the public will only buy good looking and tasting fruit. It does take time to educate the general New Zealand public to varieties that are significantly different from the medium red, mild flavoured fruit which has been produced in recent years. There are increasing signs that repeat sales are enhanced with varieties considered as particularly good flavoured. Harvesting fully ripe fruit makes a big difference to final flavour with unripe fruit unable to develop the sugar and flavour levels beyond those present at the harvesting date although the colour will change to full red. Fruit picked before fully red will have a poorer flavour.

Varieties that can continue cropping over extended periods, have an advantage for this market.

Winter and early spring production

There is a small, relatively high priced local market for fruit produced from May to October. Competition from Queensland and to a lesser extent, USA, is a constant threat. The requirement is for varieties that can produce good yields at low light intensity, pollinate readily and are relatively disease resistant in high humidity situations. Flavour is normally poorer under low light conditions which makes competition against overseas grown outdoor fruit more difficult.

Hydroponics

There are many different systems of hydroponics, some involving a growing media, while others use nutrient solutions only. Some varieties seem to perform better under these conditions than others. This is probably because of pollen viability under lower light and cooler temperature conditions under which hydroponics is usually practised during winter under protected cropping. Irvine and Levin are two that have performed consistently well over recent years in these conditions.

Cultural notes

Strawberries are grown on raised beds traditionally covered with black polythene. Drip type irrigation tubing eg Biwall, is often laid on top of the mound underneath the polythene. Distances between rows depend on the type of equipment being used as it is important to be able to straddle rows to lay polythene and for spraying. Common distances are 760mm, 800mm or 900mm. Plant spacing depends on the variety and whether plants are to be kept for several seasons. For one year cropping, plants are usually planted in a staggered double row 200-250mm apart. For multi-year cropping, plants are usually grown in single rows 150-200mm apart.

Wheat or barley straw are commonly used between the rows to keep the fruit free from rain splash and to prevent weed germination. Bales are usually sterilised before laying to prevent seed germination. Use rate of straw is commonly around 250-300 bales per hectare.

VARIETY LIST

Varieties are listed as being either Short day, Day Neutral or Intermediate. While these categories are used the boundaries between them are not always clear.

Short day varieties are those where flower initiation is triggered by short day lengths, and fruit production is normally limited to the October - December period. However some flowering and fruiting may continue later than this, depending on the variety, climatic and crop loading factors. In climates such as Auckland where the distinction between short and long days is not noticeably marked, it is common for many short day types to continue cropping well into January and beyond. In more southern latitudes like Canterbury, the distinction is quite clear and short day varieties will commonly finish fruiting around Xmas time.

Day neutral varieties are unaffected by day length and will fruit whenever temperatures are high enough to maintain growth.

Intermediate varieties will normally produce a second crop from February to May, following a first crop in October to December. First year plants may produce some fruit from January to March.

A page of colour plates allowing a visual comparison of some of the following varieties is available (Please note this is a large document with over 150K of graphics). Alternatively, clicking a variety name in the list below will call a 40K image of that variety.

AIKO

ANAHEIM

APTOS

BRIGHTON

CAMAROSA

CAPITOLA

CARLSBAD

CHANDLER

CUESTA

IRVINE

LEVIN

LINCOLN

OSO GRANDE

PAJARO

PARKER

SEASCAPE

SELVA

SUNSET

YOLO

DELETED VARIETIES:

These are no longer commercially available:

Cruz, Donna, Douglas, Fern, Hecker, Mrak, Muir, Santana, Soquel, Tustin

TRIAL VARIETIES:

In quarantine or early grower testing stage:

Eris, Selene, Tethis, F1, G14, G34, H6, H7