Day-neutral cultivars enable the production of strawberries during times when they are typically unavailable locally in the Pacific Northwest. For organic growers, who often depend on direct-to-consumer marketing, these day-neutral varieties can be crucial. However, there are few day-neutral strawberry types that are well-suited to the region, and their adaptability to organic farming practices is not well understood.

Organic strawberries must withstand disease and pest pressures while effectively absorbing nutrients from organic sources.

This project will assess both new and non-local day-neutral cultivars managed organically in Washington. The project objectives are:

• Evaluate day-neutral strawberry cultivars for organic production in the Pacific Northwest.
• Enhance selection strategies for organic farming.
• Assess the feasibility of cultivating day-neutral strawberries over a two-year production cycle in the Northwest.

The cultivars will be examined for their yield, fruit quality, overall vigor, and disease resistance.

This is a three-year project. The initial planting will be evaluated during the establishment year of 2009 and again in 2010 to determine their suitability for a second harvest year. Furthermore, two to four cultivars that show the most promise in the first year of the replicated trials will be planted with collaborating organic growers and assessed on-farm in 2010-2011.