Importance of Strawberry

• Contains high amount of folic acid so, good for artherosclerosis , vascular disease decline in cognitive function patients
• Reduce heart attack risk , ( 3 + strawberries daily)
• High amount of vit c
• Contains anthocyanins which is powerful antioxidant ( sun)
• Strawberry also contains significant levels of ellagic acid, which is thought to be an anticarcinogenic.

Climate and soil

• Grows well under temperate climate.
• They flower and set strawberries whenever the temperature is 20C to 290C (350F to 850F)
• With availability of new cultivars , it can be cultivated in tropical and subtropical conditions
• Daylight period of 12 hrs or less and but differs with cultivars
• Minimum of 6 hours of sunlight.
• Well-drained
• High in organic matter.
• Sandy loam to loamy soil
• Slightly acidic for root formation – 5.7 to 6.5 pH.
• Strawberry plants are highly sensitive to salt. Too much salt n your soil can cause “leaf scorch,”

Varieties

• Pusa early dwarf, kings seedling , Canbridge vigour, Chandler, Summer princes, Summer engel, Chandler, Flamenco and 8-9 etc

Propagation

• Runners – Most common
• Use those formed after blooming
• Early formed runners are vigorous, productive and have better root establishment
• Runners are hard to find in semi-arid regions
• Stem cutting also done
• Propagation by seed done for varietal improvement
• Important to buy disease free plants from reliable nursery