In W32 in the strawberry landscape, the University of California in Davis, United States (US), has introduced five new garden strawberry varieties with resistance to Fusarium wilt, higher yield, and improved fruit quality. These varieties — UC Eclipse, UC Golden Gate, UC Keystone, UC Monarch, and UC Surfline — resulted from breeding research supported by a USD 6.2 million grant from the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Fusarium wilt is a major threat to strawberry crops, and these new varieties address the problem, with some adapted for specific regions of California. Notably, UC Eclipse offers increased grower profitability by producing fruit during fall and winter, yielding 54% more than peers in testing.
The strawberry planting landscape in southern Minas Gerais, Brazil, is undergoing changes with new varieties introduced in 2023. Adverse weather and the transition to neutral-day varieties have impacted strawberry production, leading to a lower winter harvest compared to 2022.
Lastly, during the 2022 United Kingdom (UK) strawberry season, supermarket prices for strawberries increased by an average of 11%, while growers received no price increases. British Berry Growers, a trade association, released data indicating concerns about the future of UK strawberries. Growers are reducing their plantings for the next year due to low prices, and point out that supermarket prices fail to cover rising costs, including labor, storage, transport, planting, and farm maintenance.
