By Clint Thompson
Strawberry research continues to be a focus at Auburn University. It needs to be for Alabama growers to have a viable future.
Sushan Ru, assistant professor in horticulture at Auburn University, hopes to provide her growers with strong alternative varieties. She updated growers about her research during the recent Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (AFVGA) Conference on Feb. 4-6.
Ru emphasized the importance of researching strawberries and comparing the different traits among the varieties.
“A lot of our growers sell for the U-pick market, farmer’s market so fruit quality and taste are really important traits. Customers value that, so that in order to have a good price and good customers, you have to have good fruits which taste good,” Ru said. “That’s why we look at those traits. We also need to look at the production traits so that it’s easier for the growers to produce the berries.
“I would say disease tolerance, yield and fruit quality, in general (are most important). Still the whole package but they have to survive first. They have to have a reliable performance.”
Alabama growers have depended heavily on the Camarosa variety. Ru hopes to change that with her research. She said producers should diversify their farming operations with other options. Those could be Victor, a UC-Davis variety that has yields comparable to Camarosa; or Sensation, Warrior and Felicity; all with pretty good yields, very good flavor and fruit quality.
“Before Neo (Neopestalotiopsis), Camarosa was definitely the only option, major option that people go for. After Neo, growers don’t have other options. They have to explore other cultivars,” Ru said. “That really opens up the game. We need to get new cultivars here, just get ready for the future.”