Horticulture: Florida and Ontario join forces to expand their strawberry growing season

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Researchers are working together to develop a day-neutral plant tailored to the climate that can produce berries from late May to early October, raising the possibility of edging out California's dominance

by MARY BAXTER

It takes 60 days and plenty of water to get strawberries from new stock or plants that have toughed out the winter. And when harvest arrives here in Ontario, it's breathtakingly brief – just four to six weeks.

To expand their season, some growers turn to day-neutral strawberries. Developed in California, this type can produce berries, in Ontario, from late May to early October in a good year. Response to temperature rather than light is the key to lengthened production.   

Now, two researchers are proposing to extend day-neutral production even further by developing a variety tailored to the province's climate and using seed rather than runners for propagation. The initiative has the potential to revolutionize Ontario's strawberry industry, says Adam Dale, one of the researchers.

Growing the plants from seeds rather than runners would have the greatest impact, he says. Growing from plugs requires less water and presents the possibility of a greenhouse start, making them available any time within the growing season. "We can do that," says Dale, "and if we do it right, you can get fruit off that plant in 40 days."

Starting the plants from seed would also mean developing a new approach to production.  "It is a very big change for the growers. For them, it's essentially like growing a new crop," he says.

Dale, a professor with the University of Guelph's department of horticulture, is working with Craig Chandler, a horticulture professor at the University of Florida, on the three-year project. Unlike California growers, who are involved in year-round strawberry production, Florida's growers only produce strawberries from mid-November to the end of March. (The plant is treated as an annual in that state; growers obtain their plants from propagators in Ontario and Eastern Canada).

Having two geographic locations available is helpful, Dale says, explaining that Florida's longer growing season makes it hard to differentiate day-neutrals from short day varieties. Mildew, a nuisance in both climates, is more pronounced in the south, so "we can select for day-neutrality up here and then we can select for the mildew resistance in Florida."

The possibility of growers working together to edge out California's dominance in both jurisdictions' markets is a major motivation. With their opposite growing seasons, "it's a very logical thing to see if we can get together," points out Dale.

Kevin Schooley, executive secretary of the Ontario Berry Growers Association, agrees that a joint marketing venture has definitely been one
of the ideas behind the project. The association is backing the $750,000 project, along with the Prairie Fruit Growers Association and the Canadian Adaptation Council.

Bowmanville grower Paul Watson was the first in the province to grow day-neutrals on a large scale. At one time he grew nearly 20 acres of the plants and today they comprise a third of his strawberry crop. The remaining are June berries – short day varieties.

Watson says that when the growing is good, the day-neutral yield can be "phenomenal." He defines a good year as harvesting 15,000-20,000 pounds an acre, double the provincial average of 8,000 an acre for June berries. But there also have been dismal years, which he ascribes to too-hot temperatures while flower buds form.

Despite his long involvement with day-neutrals, Watson isn't a fan. He uses them to ensure availability for customers at his family's on-farm store and to occupy staff during August. "There's no benefit to them. Anybody who thinks there is will be in for a rude awakening when they try growing them."

Raised on plastic culture and planted at a greater density than June berries, the plants are expensive to grow. Moreover, Watson claims good growers can coax day-neutral level yields from June berries. With a harvest spanning two or three weeks rather than two or three months, that June berry yield also comes with lower labour costs and an easier production peak to gauge – an important consideration for those selling to supermarket chains, he says.

Watson, an Ontario Berry Growers Association board member, says that he has mixed feelings about the day-neutral research project. "If we don't do something, the industry's never going to flourish," he says. On the other hand, he doubts battling California growers for Ontario's domestic market is realistic.

California growers produce more than half the berries grown in North America. At those volumes (from 35,000 to 60,000 pounds an acre), growers are able to achieve economies of scale for transportation and packaging that Canadian growers simply can't replicate. California berries will sell for as low as $6-$8 US a flat. "I can't make money at $12 a flat," Watson points out.

With their consistent climate, California growers are also able to predict yields weeks ahead of harvest, which appeals to retailers who plan marketing far in advance. "Until you can market the way California does, North America wide, how the hell do you compete?"

John Cooper, who owns Strawberry Tyme Farms Inc. near Simcoe, only grows day-neutrals. His operation combines fruit production and a nursery. Florida growers are among those who buy his stock and he mostly sells his produce into the farmers' market system.

He's not sure that shifting to seed propagation would have any impact on his nursery business. It would depend on whether seed is sold directly to the fruit grower or to the nursery grower to start plants, and if it stimulates an increase in provincial day-neutral acreage. "There's a lot of unknowns at this point," he says, pointing out that commercialization of the research is still a decade away. "It's definitely an interesting concept." 

Dale and Chandler also emphasize the long journey still ahead. While they have succeeded in growing the plants from seed, there are production problems to resolve and new breeds still to develop and test. "We're hoping that in about another two years we will have a reasonably good handle on how to grow day-neutrals in Ontario," Dale says.   

Ultimately, there's no guarantee that what's developed in Ontario would remain in Ontario, creating, as Watson points out, a whole new group of potential competitors. "The minute Ontario has these things, so does . . . the whole northeast (of North America). If we do develop a variety, you can't limit it just to Ontario very easily." BF