Strawberry varieties–how do they stack up?

Annual trials have been carried out by NZ Berryfruit Propagators for decades. Decades!  Trials are operated in Auckland (primarily short day types) and Canterbury (day neutral types).

Both trials are on uncovered tabletops, with replicated plots of 4 plants/plot. Auckland’s trial is planted in May, and Canterbury’s is planted in September. Fruit size and yield are measured Sept-Dec in Auckland, and through to April for day neutrals in Canterbury.

The Auckland trial has both short-day and day neutral varieties. Since the data is only collected through December for the short day crop, that means the day neutrals only get half a season and they don’t shine.

For day neutrals, the new varieties from UC Davis, Moxie and Valiant, really stood out.

Of course, yield is not the only factor that matters to growers. Fruit size is a huge factor in profitability as well, as it’s a big driver of harvest efficiency.

You can see why we’re excited about Valiant, Moxie and Victor–they combine high yields with big fruit size.

Of course, along with berry size and yield, a big component of profitability is the price received, which ranges dramatically over the season.

The graph shows the gross value of each variety based on returns and yields up to 23^rd December.  Historically, major growers in the Auckland area generated most of their income up to this point.  However, with the advent of day neutral varieties and table top growing systems, the season goes on much longer and this chart is not a true reflection especially of the value of the following day neutral varieties: Murano, Monterey, Valiant, Beauty, Cabrillo, Royal Royce, Moxie, Sensation and Brilliance.

Astute growers will notice that there are a number of varieties on these charts that aren’t available from most of the runner growers. Flavia, S115, Flaminia, Murano and 333 are controlled by FreshMax. Florida Brilliance, Sensation, and Beauty are controlled by NZ Gourmet. It’s great that these variety owners have put their material into the trials so growers can see performance against standards.

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