Evaluation of Day-neutral Strawberry Plant Spacing to Maximize Production Potential

Abstract

<p>Day-neutral strawberries are a high-value fruit crop that have potential for commercial production in Iowa in both field and tunnel systems. Field production typically includes polyethylene soil mulches and trickle irrigation inputs, and maximizing productivity per unit area conserves resources. Tunnel production potentially hastens the growing season and promotes greater yield and increased berry quality, but square footage in a tunnel is limited. Standard planting spacing is 12 in. × 12 in. in both field and tunnel production. The impact of increasing the plant density of day-neutral strawberry has not been evaluated under Iowa’s growing conditions. The primary goal of this project was to evaluate differences in yield and growth of day-neutral strawberries grown at differing spaces that increase plant density in outside plots.</p>