Your trusted source for independent, high-quality, science-based advice
© 2025 Berryworld, All Rights Reserved
Every year New Zealand Berryfruit Propagators does two strawberry variety trials, one in Auckland and the other near Christchurch, so the NZ strawberry growing industry can see how the new varieties stack up against the old standards.
How profitable a variety is to grow depends mainly on yield, timing of that yield (wholesale pricing highly favours early to market), and berry size. The old adage that it takes twice as long to fill a punnet if the berry size drops to half applies here. Quality factors like susceptibility to rain damage or anthracnose matter more on some years than others. Direct-marketers can sometimes command a premium for flavour, but this is still uncommon in the wholesale market.
Over the years, we have had varieties imported from many breeding programs overseas. Many of these have been run through the variety trials, and performance data with all those important qualities (timing, yield, berry size) is available from the distributors of these varieties. Make sure to ask for the replicated NZ performance data (not overseas performance data or word of mouth from marketers). An example of why this is important is that Monterey, when grown in Monterey county California, has a yield of 3+ kg/plant. We are quite pleased with ourselves if we get 1.2kg/plant in NZ.
So, who’s king of the mountain this season in Auckland?
Thank you to Caroline and Anthony Rakich for hosting the variety trial!
The variety trial will run through to Christmas, so these are the preliminary rankings. These are the averages from replicated plots with bare root plants sourced from all the runner growers, planted in late May in a tabletop system. This year we have included plug plants of Monterey from all the plug producers as well. Also in the trial are plants of all varieties grown in the high health unit in Lincoln.
You can see that most of the winners on yield so far are short day varieties. Often (but not always) the day neutral varieties win on early yield, while the day neutrals have only given half their season. Valiant is the exception this year, one of the new day neutral varieties that has done exceptionally well.
So far the yield has largely determined the profitability. Profitability depends on when that yield has come in, and earliness has had the usual premium.
Wholesale strawberry pricing per kg, packed into 250g punnets
Notice the berry sizes in the data. As per usual, Ventana was great early on, but the size drops off quickly. Interestingly, Moxie hasn’t been impressive in yield to date, but the berry size has been massive.
The Auckland trial will finish just at Christmas, and soon after we will present the yield, berry size, and profitability data from the last 3 years of trial work. Who is “king of the mountain” varies season by season, but it’s useful to see which ones rank in the top tier, year on year.