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The Pacific Northwest is recognized for producing high quality strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.). Unfortunately, these are produced over an extremely short season of no more than 4 weeks. This situation is ideal for the processing market but not the fresh market where an extended season is essential. However, the recently introduced production systems together with the introduction of the day neutral cultivars have the potential to extend the season. The purpose of the present investigations was to examine these systems and the various day neutral cultivars in southwestern British Columbia. The production systems investigated were the waiting bed and the raised hill row. Both systems involve traditional June-bearing (short day) cultivars planted sequentially, resulting in a harvest season of at least 10 weeks. Among the cultivars tested in the waiting bed system, ‘Rainier’ was the most promising and 'Hood' the least; 'Totem' and ‘Shuksan’ gave intermediate responses. In the hill row 'Rainier' was again the most promising. However, in the second year of both systems, when production occurs in the traditional 4 week time period, 'Totem' was the most promising. Comparing the 2 systems, hill rows were more profitable than waiting beds. Day neutral cultivars begin flowering approximately one month after planting, and fruiting occurs from June or early July until October. In these investigations, they were grown at various spacings on raised beds, covered with black plastic mulch and trickle irrigated. The most promising cultivars tested were 'Selva' and 'Tribute' and the most promising spacing was 30 cm. / Land and Food Systems, Faculty of / Graduate

Thesis (MScAgric)--University of Stellenbosch, 2008. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

Graduation date: 1951

Graduation date: 1984

Graduation date: 1937

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2000. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 74 p. : ill. (some col.). Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 65-70).

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1952 L5 / Master of Science

Graduation date: 1994

At its peak, Oregon produced 21 percent of the nation's total commercial strawberry production. However, since 1971, Oregon's share of strawberry production has been declining steadily. In fact, for the last three years strawberry production in Oregon constitutes only 8 percent of the nation's total production, which is the lowest since the end of the Korean War (Figure 1). Among other factors, the increase in harvest cost without an offsetting increase in the farm prices of strawberries, is the main cause for the continuing decline of strawberry production in Oregon. Decrease in the supply of strawberry pickers is the main cause for the upward trend of the strawberry harvest cost in Oregon. Particularly, since 1973, due to enactment of the child labor law, the shortage in the supply of strawberry pickers in Oregon has intensified, causing further escalation in harvest cost. Thus, in order to alleviate the problems associated with harvest cost, since 1967, Oregon has been actively seeking to mechanize its strawberry harvest. The principal objective of this thesis has been to evaluate the economic feasibility of mechanical strawberry harvest in Oregon. As demonstrated in Chapter V, depending on the assumptions about the quality and the average yield of the strawberry varieties that would eventually be harvested mechanically, and the efficiency of the harvester; the expected savings per acre to the strawberry growers from the use of mechanical harvester was shown to range from a net saving of $523.50 to a net loss of $186.76 (Table 9). Even though negative savings are shown to appear when extremely unfavorable conditions are assumed, in the majority of cases discussed in Chapter V, the implementation of mechanical strawberry harvesting in Oregon is found to be associated with significant positive returns to the growers. In addition, in Chapter VI, under certain conditions which are expected to prevail if mechanization of strawberry harvest become a reality in Oregon, the annual gross and net 'social rate of returns' were estimated to be 330 percent and 95.7 percent respectively. The difference between the gross and net social rate of return is the wage loss of the displaced workers. Based on the above social return figures and the estimated savings to the growers, it appears that mechanical strawberry harvesting is an economically viable alternative that could eventually solve the problem of the growing shortage of strawberry pickers in Oregon. / Graduation date: 1978