COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas strawberry growers expect better yields and quality following back-to-back disappointing seasons, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert.
Russ Wallace, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension horticulturist, Lubbock, said weather was an issue early, but strawberry producers are now harvesting average to above-average yields and quality.
Much of the state’s strawberry crop were hit with freezing temperatures in January and February, Wallace said. Damage from temperatures around 18 degrees meant surviving plants were very small and needed time to recover. Some producers covered plants to protect them from freezing temperatures, but the cloth typically protects flowers only against lows around 27 degrees.
Strawberry plant recovery meant a delayed harvest, but Wallace said plants are making up for lost time.
“Overall, harvest is looking much better than the previous two years, and yields should be average to good,” he said. “They may have been slow to harvest, but plants are pushing hard now and looking better.”
Texas strawberry producers overcome challenges
Wallace said recent rains have improved growing conditions, though nearly all strawberry fields are planted into black or white plastic with drip irrigation systems.
Too much water can hurt fruit, Wallace said. It can dilute the brix measurements, which is the sugar content found in fruits like strawberries and watermelons. Typically, 9-13 brix are good for strawberries. Rainfall and humidity can also fuel fungus and mold outbreaks in strawberries, which can be devastating for the crop.
Severe drought can also negatively impact strawberries, but drier weather can help producers by reducing pest and disease pressure, Wallace said.
Growers also deal with a wide range of pests from insects to rodents, he said. Insects like thrips and lygus bugs damage fruit and crickets eat leaves. Birds peck at fruit, rabbits eat fruit and plants, and mice pick the seeds from the fruit.
“Strawberries are a challenge because there are a number of things that can impact production,” he said. “Growers have to be vigilant, whether it’s high humidity causing root diseases or covering plants with nets to keep birds away from the fruit. There are a lot of critters that like strawberries as much as we do.”
Interest in Texas strawberry production spreading
Planted acres and interest in strawberry production continues to grow across the state, Wallace said. Farms and strawberry acres are difficult to track, but from his experience there are likely more than 60 growers across various regions of Texas with around 400 acres in production.
Most large commercial producers grow their crop on 7-12 acres while smaller operations are from 1,000 plants up to 3 acres, Wallace said. Producers plant around 17,000 bare root strawberry plants or plugs per acre, depending on row spacing and their production capability and goals.
The production standard for Texas is about 1 pound of fruit from each plant. Typically, Wallace said, most strawberry producers can average 1-1.5 pounds per plant during a season.
Most Texas producers welcome consumers into the fields for “pick-your-own” strawberries. Prices have increased some this season, he said, and range from $3.50-$4 per pound up to $7-$8 per pound for strawberries near metropolitan areas.
Poteet, south of San Antonio, is known for its strawberries. The area boasts the state’s largest concentration of producers and recently celebrated with its annual strawberry festival. Wallace said other notable growers can be found around Lubbock, Fredericksburg, Tyler, Dallas-Fort Worth and the Austin area.
“It’s important for consumers to understand how much goes into growing strawberries, so I wouldn’t mind seeing even higher prices,” Wallace said. “Interest in growing strawberries is certainly growing, but acres are hard to tell. Some years I am hearing that acres are static, and then I come across a farm with 55,000 new strawberry plants.”
Texas strawberry production poised for growth
Wallace said he is updating AgriLife Extension’s Production Guide for Texas-Grown Strawberries based on ongoing research that should help guide producers and prospective growers.
Wallace and collaborators from AgriLife Extension, Prairie View A&M University and Texas Tech University received a third two-year Texas Department of Agriculture Specialty Crops Block grant designed to improve sustainability for Texas strawberry producers. Two previous grants focused on production methods like low tunnels and hoop houses and then weed control, plant stress, fertilization, irrigation, shading and other production techniques to improve crop yields and quality throughout Texas.
Wallace and other researchers have over 15 statewide trials with growers to evaluate strawberry varieties for their performance in the various climates and soils around the state.
“We’ve gained a lot of excellent knowledge over the past four years, and identifying the varieties, both old and new, that perform best in the various regions will be another big step,” he said. “I think Texas is poised for expanding strawberry production, and this research will be a big part of that growth.”
–Texas A&M AgriLife Communications
