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Strawberry : Warm Winter Affected Strawberry Field in India Greenhouse
Pune: The strawberry yield have adversely affected sinse for the second consecutive year, above normal winter Information
temperatures over several parts of the country, including Mahabaleshwar, Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir.
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According to Agriculture ministry estimates, the production of the fruit in India has dropped by 40% from 8,000
metric tonnes in 2014-15 to around 5,000 metric tonnes in both 2015-16 and 2016-17. Up-to-date
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The reduced production was due to above normal winter temperature and issues concerning the mother plant
imported from California to grow the fruit, said sources from the All India Strawberry Growers' Association. ugaatbouwen.com
Mahabaleshwar is Maharashtra's major strawberry growing belt and according to the ministry's data, in a
normal season, strawberries are grown on close to 2,000 acres of land in Mahabaleshwar. Close to 20,000
tonnes of strawberries are grown in and around Mahabaleshwar during a normal season, sinse the usual per-
acre production stands at 7 to 10 tonnes.
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The president of the All India Strawberry Growers' Association, Nitin Bhilare said, “The yield has dipped by 40%
over the last two years, primarily due to the warm winters in 2015 and 2016 as well as the non-availability of
mother plants. To grow strawberries, each year Mahabaleshwar imports close to 7.5 lakh mother plants. But
only four lakh such mother plants were imported in 2016.“
He also said that, as the warm winters are affecting the quality and causing a low yield, several farmers have
refrained from planting strawberries. Mahabaleshwar strawberry is a seasonal fruit that grows in October-
November and April-May.
For a few months, temperatures in Mahabaleshwar have been ]uctuating. In November, the hill station recorded
its highest temperature (29°C) for the month in eight years. Senior coordinator of the Krishi Vigyan Kendra at
Sadalpur, Sunil Dhanda said that, Saharwa village in Haryana's Hisar district, a major strawberry hub in North
India, also saw a dip in its yield.
Source: http://timesodndia.indiatimes.com
Source: http://www.dnancialexpress.com
The system uses data such as temperature and leaf wetness to tell growers when to spray fungicide to ward
off diseases. The system can help the environment by using less chemical treatment to prevent strawberry
diseases.
The SAS- Strawberry Advisory System app is currently available for download through the ogcial app stores for
mobile devices with iOS and Android operating systems. The app is designed to be easy to use, so it contains
only the essential functionality available in the web-based SAS.
Before SAS was developed, strawberry farmers traditionally sprayed weekly during the November- to-March
growing season. Spraying more often than needed increases production costs and can lead to fungicide
resistance.
Jaskaran (40), Ravinder (32) and Sunny (31) hailing from Kauni village in Giddarbaha sub-division, have become
the drst farmers in Malwa region of Punjab to cultivate strawberry.
They says that even Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) agriculture scientists are approaching them to explore
the idea of strawberry cultivation in other parts of the state.
The three say they were exploring other options in farming when they met Surinder Singh. Surinder Singh is a
farmer from Hisar in Haryana, he exhorted them to grow strawberries. Following his advice, they sowed the drst
strawberry crop in September and the fruit is ready for picking now. Now other farmers also follow their
footsteps.
They started their experiment by growing strawberry in Jaskaran's one-acre plot and spent nearly Rs 5 lakh for
that. they three all are undergraduates and own 25 acres of land each in Kauni.
They said "More than a year ago, we had come to know that a farmer in Gurdaspur was into strawberry farming,
but we failed to get much information about the best way to grow the fruit. Then we came across Surinder, who
provided us strawberry seeds. We spent Rs 2 lakh in purchasing the seeds, and installed a sprinkler and drip
irrigation system in the deld to sow it. About 24,000 small plants of strawberry seeds were sown in one acre in
the middle of September, when the temperature was hovering at nearly 30-degree Celsius."
"For strawberry cultivation, the temperature was maintained at nearly 25°C. For the drst 20 days, we irrigated it
using the sprinkler and after that we opted for drip irrigation," said Jaskaran about the initial effort to grow the
berry.
The fruit was ready and they expected it to yield around 70 quintals, said Ravinder. he also said "We are
marketing our produce to fruit dealers of Bathinda and Muktsar at nearly Rs 150 per kg, and expect to sell the
total yield for over Rs 10 lakh - twice our input cost."
"We hope more farmers can take to strawberry cultivation and earn handsomely inspired from their success
story," said Sukhdev Singh, Mukstar horticulture development ogcer (HDO).
The association plans to send around 25 tonne of strawberries to Malaysia this year and is also exploring
options to send strawberries to neighbouring countries as well, Bhilare said.
This year, around 3,000 acres have been planted and the yield was expected to touch 30,000 tonne. The
association was expecting surplus yield since farmers had planted strawberries on an additional 1,000-1,500
acres.
Satara district famous for the country’s 80% strawberry production. The fruit is grown mainly in
Mahabaleshwar, Wai and Panchagani areas.
The Panchgani-Mahabaleshwar belt contributes around 85% of the total production in the country. The rest
comes from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
There is rise in demand from markets in Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. Near about 15-20 tonne of
strawberries dnd their way to Chennai and Bangalore. This year, there is demand from Delhi and Kolkata as
well.
"I had been to Aberdeen in Scotland last year to attend wedding of a friend's daughter. The family had a huge
strawberry farm next to their house. They offered us fresh fruits from there. I loved the taste and that very
moment I decided to try growing them in my farm. But since I was already preoccupied with Date cultivation, I
waited for the right time and tried strawberry cultivation this October," Thangavel said.
He is growing the 'Sweet Charlie' variety. Strawberry is a fruit which grows in the hills in India. His passion for
experimentation motivated him to give it a try. He got the tissue cultured samplings from a Pune-based
company, KF Bioplants Ltd, for Rs30, 000 for half an acre.
He took professional guidance on the cultivation methodology from Ajay Gajbhiye from the company.
Strawberry grows well in certain soil conditions which have the right amount of micro and macronutrients. Fruit
was sold at 300/kg
Source : http://timesodndia.indiatimes.com/
In Last year, strawberry growers had exported strawberry to Malaysia on a large scale compared to this year. No
export is done as production is reduced and this season is also short.
“The start of the season has been good so far with around 20-30 tonne of strawberries dnding their way to the
markets this year. However, nobody can predict what will happen next because of the water situation,” he said.
He said that nobody can predict what will happen next because of the water situation,” he said. Strawberry
cultivation requires water later in the season as well. The fruit is selling at around R150 per kg this year and
prices are likely to remain on the higher side, Bhilare added.
There has been a rise in acreage to around 3,000 acres but weather conditions and water shortage has affected
production rise. Last year as well, production came down by 25-30% as compared with the previous year to
22,000 metric tonne, as against an expected production of 30,000 metric tonne at the start of the season. This
year, around 3,000 acres has been planted and the production d was expected to get 30,000 tonne.
It would be digcult to predict the trends in the coming months, he added. The rate usually falls to R50 kg
towards the end of the season in January. Satara district accounts for the country's 80 % strawberry production
and the fruit is grown mainly in Mahabaleshwar, Wai and Panchagani areas.
Source : http://www.dnancialexpress.com/
The production of strawberries in hill station of Mahabaleshwar has decreased almost by 50% this winter
because of high temperature, resulting in bad quality strawberries reaching markets in Chennai, Bangalore,
Gujarat and Mumbai.
Prices also have decreased signidcantly in comparison to the last year, said a source in the Strawberry Growers'
Association of India.
Shivaji Chaugule, the block agriculture ogcer of Mahabaleshwar, said the winter had set in late this year,
affecting the size of strawberries as well as the production. "The production for the entire strawberry season -
from November 2015 till April 2016 - may ultimately come down by 50%. The strawberry production cycle,
which continues for six months, may be cut short after February because of water shortage," he said.
Source : http://www.dnancialexpress.com/
Introduction:
Strawberry (Fragaria sp.) is a native of temperate regions, but varieties are available which can be
cultivated in subtropical climate. In India it is generally cultivated in the hills. Its main center of cultivation
are Nainital (district) and Dehradun in Uttar Pradesh, Mahabaleshwar (Maharashtra), Kashmir Valley,
Bangalore and Kalimpong (West Bengal). In recent years, strawberry is being cultivated successfully in
plains of Maharashtra around Pune, Nashik and Sangali towns. The strawberry is the most widely adapted
of the small fruits. Strawberries are grown throughout Europe, in every state of the United States, as well
as in Canada and South America. The wide variation in climates within these regions and the wide
adaptation of the strawberry plant permit harvesting and marketing, the fruit during greater part of the
year.
Strawberry is a delicious fruit taken fresh in several ways. It also makes excellent ice cream and Jam on
account of its rich aroma, and is also a good source of vitamin C. It is a soft and a highly perishable fruit,
often shipped in frozen condition in Western countries.
From the standpoint of response to length of the light period, strawberries are placed in two groups: (1)
varieties that develop ]ower buds during both long and short light periods, the overbearing varieties and
(2) varieties that develop ]ower buds during the short light periods only, most commercial varieties.
Strawberry requires a well-drained medium loam soil, rich in organic matter. The soil should be slightly
acidic with pH from 5.7 to 6.5. At higher pH root formation is poor. The presence of excessive calcium in
the soil causes yellowing of the leaves. In light soils and in those rich in organic matter, runner formation is
better. Strawberry should not be cultivated in the same land for a number of years. It is preferable to plant
it in green manured deld. Alkaline soils and soils infected with nematodes should be avoided.
Varieties
A large number of varieties are available. For the hilly areas, varieties Royal Sovereign, Srinagar and
Dilpasand are suitable. Some of the introductions from California, such as Torrey, Toiga and Solana may
prove even more successful. The variety found successful in Bangalore has been named Bangalore and
which has performed well at Mahabaleshwar also. For the north Indian plains, Pusa Early Dwarf which has
dwarf plants, large drm wedge-shaped fruits, has been recommended. Another variety with rich aroma but
softer fruits is Katrain Sweet. Some of the varieties found successful in warmer parts of the U.S.A. are:
Premier Florida-90, Missionary, Blackmore, Klonmore & Klondike. Some of these may prove successful for
cultivation in Indian plains.
Propagation
Propagation is done by means of runners that are formed after the blooming season. The plants may be
allowed to set as many runners as possible but not allowed to set any fruits. All the plants with good root
system should be utilised to set a new plantation. Given the best attention and care, a single plant usually
produces 12 to 18 runners.
Planting
The land for strawberry planting should be thoroughly prepared by deep ploughing followed by harrowing.
Liberal quantities of organic manure should be incorporated in the soil before plating. Strawberry can be
planted on ]at beds, in the form of hill rows or matted rows, or it can be planted on raised beds. In irrigated
areas, plantings on ridges is advised. In Mahabaleshwar, the usual practice is to plant on raised beds 4 x 3
meters or 4 x 4 meters. The planting distance should be 45 cm from plant to plant and 60 to 75 cm. from
row to row. In the hills, Transplanting is done in March-April, September-October, but in the plains, the
months of January-February may be utilised for this purpose. At Mahabaleshwar normally strawberry is
planted during November-December.
The plants should be set in the soil with their roots going straight down. The soil around the plant should
be drmly packed to exclude air. The growing point of the plant should be just above the soil surface. During
planting, the plants should not be allowed to dry out and should be irrigated immediately after planting.
Irrigation
Since strawberry is relatively shallow-rooted, it is susceptible to conditions of drought. Planting early in
autumn allows the plants to make good vegetative growth before the onset of winter. However, in this case
it is necessary to ensure that newly planted runners are irrigated frequently after planting, otherwise the
mortality of the plants becomes high. During September and October, irrigation should be given twice a
week if there is no rain. It may be reduced to weekly intervals during November. In December and January,
irrigation may be given once every fortnight. When fruiting starts, the irrigation frequency may should
again be increased. At this stage frequent irrigation gives larger fruits.
Plant protection
Red spider mites and cutworms are important pests of strawberry. The mites can be controlled with 0.05
per cent Monocrotophos + 0.25 per cent wetable sulphur. The cut worms can be controlled by dusting the
soil before planting with 5 per cent chloradane or Heptachlor dust at the rate of 50 kg per hectare and
mixing it thoroughly in the soil by cultivator.
The two commonest diseases of strawberry are red stele, caused by the fungus Phytophthora fragariae
and black root rot. The remedy for the former lies by growing resistant varieties like stelemaster and for
the latter to maintain the vigour of the plants and rotate strawberry with other crops like legume
vegetables (beans, peas etc). Strawberry also suffers from virus diseases known as yellow edge, crinkle
and dwarf. Raising of strawberry nursery in the hills helps to check these. Strawberry also throws some
chlorotic plants, which result from genetic segregation. These should not be confused with virus affected
plants and should be rogued out.
The yield varies according to season and locality. A yield of 20 to 25 tons per hectare is excellent, though
yields upto 50 tons per hectare have been reported under ideal conditions.
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