Introduction:In Kenya, strawberries are not a common fruit that you will find on the streets.Most people buy them for home consumption and baking. Companies like Brookside, trufood, zesta, KCC use strawberries to use them when making juices, sauces, jams, yoghurts and other supplies for supermarkets.
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| Strawberry fruits |
The most common type of strawberry is that of the Fragaria genus. The Strawberry varieties suitable for growing in Kenya include Chandler, Domanil, pajaro Douglas, Tioga selva, Rabunda, Tri-Star and Tribute.
-The crop thrives in hot climate and it does badly in frost or extremely low temperatures. These companies import the fruit because very few people attempt to plant the fruit.
-Few farmers in Kenya have turned to strawberry production. Those who have tried it have raked great profits because it is not a competitive area of farming.
-There is great demand for the product and it is very easy to maintain. One just needs to have a fertile farm and plenty of water. It is a good business for serious farmers.
-The demand is high and therefore the prices are affordable. Strawberries are very easy to maintain and they take 70 days to mature.
-This is such a short time and they return the initial investments after sale. Most farmers end up making great profits. This will remain for up to 3 years with 2 to 3 harvesting seasons annually.
-The easiest variety in Kenya is the chandler. These plants need attention and watering from the farmer. This is a venture with high capital requirement and it needs a lot of attention.
-A seedling sells for an average of Ksh 20 and this depends on the piece of land. The land can be an eighth of an acre and 2,500 seedlings are required.
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| Strawberry fruits |
-This means that the total amount of money will be 500,000 shillings. The plants are not good with rain water because it affects the leaves of the plants.
-Drip irrigation is the best for this option because it does not cause fungal diseases on the leaves of the strawberries. However greenhouses are a great option for the people willing to do this farming.
-Greenhouses protect the plants from drought and excess rain. The berries go out of season during rainy season, but a farmer can practice crop rotation by alternating with other plants like beans, eggplants, tomatoes, capsicums, okra and cabbages.
-In crop rotation, it is required that people use crops from different families so that they don’t overuse one nutrient from the soil. The seedling can be propagated by the farmer if it is disease free.
-The farmer can expand the plantation size without necessarily going to the seedling supplier again. -The farmer will require large initial capital but the returns will make up for it. It will take only 6 to 7 months for the farmer to break even.
-The fruit is a great export in the country and it is a cash crop. The main requirements for the strawberry plants are water,manure,pesticides, herbicides, pipes for irrigation and a greenhouse.With all these one can start a sucessful business.
Soil preparation:Prepare a weed-free site that gets 8 to 10 hours of strong sunlight a day. Well-drained soil with a pH around 6.0 to 6.2 is ideal.
-To avoid verticillium wilt, don't plant in sites where raspberries, strawberries, or solanaceous plants (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, etc.) have grown before.
Preparing the Land for the Strawberry Plants-In late August most commercial strawberry producers begin preparing their land the new planting of strawberries.
Even though strawberry plants are perennial, most strawberry farmers treat them as annuals. After all the strawberries have been harvested, the land is fertilized and plowed.
After fertilization and plowing, the soil is mounded into plateau rows and covered with black plastic.
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| Strawberry farm |
Usually, when the plastic is laid, drip tape irrigation is simultaneously placed in the ground. These tasks are accomplished with a specialized tractor-machine.
The drip tape will be used to water and fertilize the strawberry plants as they grow and produce.
Planting the Strawberry Plants- After the ground is prepared, the plants must be planted.
-This is still done by hand, usually about two weeks after the plastic mulch has been laid. At this time, a tractor is used to mechanically punch holes in the plastic at exact intervals.
-Workers usually either ride or follow behind the tractor and place plugs into the punched holes.
-Between 15,000 and 20,000 strawberry plants are planted per acre (17,500 average). For a large commercial strawberry farm, hundreds of thousands or even millions of strawberry plants will be planted each year.
Seeds- It is generally considered to be more difficult to start strawberry plants from seed than it is to work with young plants.
-Depending on the variety of strawberry you have chosen, it may be necessary to cold treat your seeds before germination.
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| Strawberry farm with black polythene cover |
-This can be achieved by simply placing them in the freezer for 2–4 weeks before sowing.
Strawberry seeds should be sown in trays containing a good quality, sterile seed starting mix. Sow the seeds to a depth of 6 mm (0.25 in) and keep the soil moist (but not wet) while the seeds germinate.
-Seeds should germinate in 2–3 weeks. When the seedlings reach 2.5–5.0 cm (1-2 in) in height, thin the seedlings if they are too close together and repot or transplant to the garden when they have 3 leaves.
-If planting outside be sure to harden the seedlings off before you put them in the ground.
Runners - Strawberries produce offspring on a side shoot known as a “runner”.
-Runners can be removed from the mother plant and relocated. Simply plant the runners to the desired final spacing in a bed prepared similarly to planting seeds.
Planting - Begin preparing the strawberry bed as early as possible in the Spring when the soil becomes workable.
-Prepare the soil for planting by adding organic matter such as compost or well-rotted manure.
-Plant the strawberry transplants 38–60 cm (15–24 in) apart depending on variety and allow 90–120 cm (36–48 in) between rows. Be careful to plant so that the crown of the plant (the point from which the leaves emerge) is at the soil surface.
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| Strawberry farm with a black polythene cover |
-If planted too deep, the plants may rot and if planted too shallow the plants may not take root.
-After planting, water the plants thoroughly.
-After planting, water the plants thoroughly.
General care and maintenance- In the first growing season after planting, the plants should not be allowed to produce fruit in order for the plants to concentrate their energy of vegetative growth.
-Pinch off any flowers as they are produced. Fruit can be harvested in the year after planting. When the desired density of plants is reached cut off any runners or cultivate with a hoe.
-Weeds should also be removed from the strawberry bed regularly. Strawberry plants also require adequate moisture and should receive 2.5–3.8 cm (1–1.5 in) of water per week either from rainfall or irrigation if needed.
-Strawberries will benefit from the addition of mulch which helps to conserve soil moisture and protectsthe plants from late frosts in Spring.
-If frost is forecast after planting the plants should be protected with row covers or other suitable material. Plants can also be protected with sprinkler irrigation. Row covers can also be used to protect the fruit from birds when fruiting.
Harvesting - Fruit should be harvested regularly (every other day) when it is being produced by picking the berry along with the cap and 0.5 in of stem. remove the berries by pinching the stem. Harvest only fully ripe strawberries as they will not ripen further after harvest.
Pests and diseases
1.Anthracnose - Leaf spot;Round black or light gray lesions on leaves; numerous spots may develop but leaves do not die
Runners and petioles;Dark brown or black sunken, circular lesions on stems, petioles and runners; plants may be stunted and yellow; plants may wilt and collapse; internal tissues discolored red.
-crown rot, bud rot, flower blight, fruit rot.
2.Red stele (Red core)- Stunted plant growth; old leaves withered and may have red yellow or orange tinge; new leaves small; little or no fruit produced and few runners; reddish discoloration of root core which may extend into the crown.
3.Gray mold (Botrytis fruit rot, Blossom blight)- Blossoms turning brown and dying; misshapen fruit; patches of rot on fruit which enlarge and often affects entire fruit; masses of gray mycelium on surface of rotting tissue; no leakage of fluid from fruit;fruit becomes dried and mummified.
4.Leaf scorch- Irregular dark purple or brown blotches on upper leaf surface which may coalesce to produce large purplish brown patches; tissue between blotches may turn purple or red; lesions may also develop on flowers and fruits; affected petals may wither and drop from plant; lesions may girdle peduncles causing death of fruit
5.Powdery mildew- Patches of fuzzy white fungal growth on lower leaf surface which enlarge and coalesce; leaf edges curling upwards; purple-red blotches on lower leaf surface; deformed fruit may be produced if flowers become infected, severe infections may cause the plant to produce no fruit.
6.Phomopsis leaf blight- One to five circular, red-purple spotson leaflet; distinct zonal patterns onleaves with dark brown center surrounded by lighter brown and then purple, red or yellow; dark elongated and sunken lesions on petioles, stolons and fruit trusses.
7.Leaf spot (Mycosphaerella leaf spot)- Small round or irregular deep purplelesions on upper surfaces of leaves which enlarge and develop a gray-white center; lesions can grow large in susceptible varieties and the center of the lesion remains brown; lesions may also develop on fruit, petioles and stolons.
8.Angular leaf spot - Very small water-soaked lesions on lower surfaces of leaves which enlarge to form dark green or translucent angular spots which ooze bacteria; lesions may coalesceto form reddish spots with a chlorotic halo.
9.Aphids (Peach aphid, Potato aphid, Melon aphid, Strawberry aphid)- Small soft bodied insects on underside of leaves and/or stems of plant; usually green or yellow in color, but may be pink, brown, red orblack depending on species and host plant;
If aphid infestation is heavy it may cause leaves to yellow and/or distorted, necrotic spots on leaves and/or stunted shoots; aphids secrete a sticky, sugary substance called honeydew which encourages the growth of sooty mold on the plants.
10.Armyworm (Beet army worm )- Singular, or closely grouped circularto irregularly shaped holes in foliage; heavy feeding by young larvae leads to skeletonized leaves; shallow, dry wounds on fruit; egg clusters of 50-150 eggs may be present on the leaves;
Egg clusters are covered in a whitish scale whichgives the cluster a cottony or fuzzy appearance; young larvae are pale green to yellow in color while older larvae are generally darker green with a dark and light line running along the side of their body and a pink or yellow underside.
11.Loopers (Cabbage looper)- Large or small holes in leaves; damage often extensive; caterpillars are pale green with a white lines running down either sideof their body;
Caterpillars are easily distinguished by the way they arch their body when moving; eggs are laid singly, usually on the lower leaf surface close to the leaf margin, and are white or pale green in color.
12.Spider mites (Strawberry spider mite)- Leaves stippled with yellow; leaves may appear bronzed; webbing covering leaves; mites may be visible as tiny moving dots on the webs or underside of leaves, best viewed using a hand lens; usually not spotted until there are visible symptoms on the plant; leaves turn yellow and may drop from plant.
13.Slugs- Irregularly shaped holes in leaves and stems;rough holes in ripe fruit; if infestation is severe, leaves may be shredded;
slime trails present on rocks, walkways, soil and plant foliage; several slug and snail species are common garden pests; slugs are dark gray to black in color and can range in size from 2.5 to 10cm (1-4 in).
14.Thrips (Western flower thrips)- Damage to strawberry flowers, including browning of anthers and stigmas; insects may be numerous on fruit and may cause bronzing around the cap;
Insect is small (1.5 mm) and slender and best viewed using a hand lens; adult thrips are pale yellow to light brown and the nymphs are smaller and lighter in color.
15.Weevils (Strawberry root weevil, Rough strawberry root weevil, Black vine weevil)- Notches in leaves of plants; plants stunted and dark in color with closely bunched leaves; adult insectis a snot-nosed beetle which can vary in color from dark to light brown depending on species; larvaeare crem-white colored grubs whichfeed on root sbelow ground.
16.Japanese beetle- Leaves skeletonized (only veins remaining); flowers and buds damaged; plant damage may be extensive; adult insect is a metallic green-bronze beetle with tufts of white hair protruding from under wing covers on each side of the body; adult beetles are approximately 13 mm in length; larvae are cream-white grubs which develop in the soil.
-Strawberry sap beetle can infest overripe fruit. Plant decline can also be caused by root-feeding white grubs (beetle larvae) and nematodes.
Viruses, which can be spread by aphids, often affect plants that are weakened by unfavorable growing conditions.
Disease
-AlertGray mold (botrytis) is disease enemy number 1 on strawberry fruit around the country.
-Anthracnose can devastate plantings in hot, humid areas. Leather rot, which causes an insipid berry taste you won't forget, is a sporadic problem on susceptible varieties when fruit comes in contact with damp soil.
-Red stele, a soilbornefungus, can be avoided by choosing resistant varieties.HarvestingRipe berries appear about 30 days after bloom.
Once the berry is fully red, let your taste buds be your final guide on when to harvest. Pick every two to three days, or daily in very hot weather. Keep green caps attached.
To preserve flavor and shelf life, pick into a shallow, paper towel lined container, no more than three or four layers of berries deep.
Refrigerate immediately after picking. Hull and wash just before serving.
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