TEAGASC ezine / 03
‘MALLING CENTENARY’ STRAWBERRY FARM WALK Strawberry production in Ireland has seen a significant change in recent years with the introduction of the variety ‘Malling Centenary’. While many of the characteristics of the variety have been elucidated there is still much to learn about this new variety. Teagasc will hold a Malling Centenary focused fruit walk later this year to be kindly hosted by McCarthy’s Strawberry Farm (date to be confirmed). The event will focus on McCarthy’s experience with growing ‘Malling Centenary’ over recent years. Dr Eamonn Kehoe will discuss the main challenges in growing the variety successfully and profitably. He will also present the latest results and experience from Teagasc research trials. Teagasc research has shown that an excellent yield of over 1.2 kg per plant was obtained over two growing seasons. The main disadvantage of overwintering the variety in a closed structure is an increased risk of ‘grey mould’ (Botrytis) disease. As a result, it suits most growers with heated glasshouses to force the crop over one season and not to take on this disease risk. Teagasc established a trial crop in December 2019. It will be forced over one season and is expected to give a yield of 1.2 kg per plant or more. Harvest will take place between late March and August.
The results of the most recent 60-day trial will also be discussed on the farm walk. One of the main goals of this trial was to assess the effects of planting dates on the subsequent yield of the crop. The highest yield obtained was 277g per plant. This yield was 32% higher by planting the variety earlier (June 18 versus July 2 planting). In this regard, ‘Elsanta’ planting is more flexible but with Malling Centenary you cannot afford to do this. The event is free to attend and all are welcome. ✽
BEST4SOIL WEBSITE LAUNCH Healthy soils are of major importance for the future of the European horticultural and agricultural crop production. Especially in intensive production systems, soil-borne diseases are a major factor with a negative impact on soil health. The Best4Soil project (which Teagasc is a partner on) is building a community network of best practice for soil across Europe by inter-connecting growers, advisers, educators and researchers. Through this network, knowledge ready for practice is being repackaged and disseminated in easy to access forms. This information is available as a series of videos and factsheets through the project website www.best4soil.eu. A cornerstone of this work is the development of web-based databases to assist growers in planning crop rotations. The databases, available on the website, will highlight potential soil-borne disease and pathogenic nematode issues which may pose a risk to the crop from previous crops. The system, based on data from published literature will estimate the degree of risk, and will also offer some potential mitigation strategies the grower can adopt, if feasible. The overall goal of the Best4Soil project is to promote soil health through the adoption of best practice. Visit the website if interested in registering for further project updates. ✽
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HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2020
