Historical Milestones,Current Methods,and Strategies Resulting in Year-Round Strawberry Production in Belgium

ABSTRACT

Strawberry production in Belgium has evolved from being a June-harvested crop grown in soil to a year-round crop grown in multiple production systems, as a result of the development of new cultivars and production techniques. Strawberry cultivation used to be one aspect of diverse family enterprises, but now strawberry farms are specialized. In the beginning, strawberries were only harvested in June. Covering the crop with plastic tunnels allowed the harvest to advance to May. Subsequently, an important innovation was the use of cold-stored plants in year-round plantings, which also allowed later production. This evolution in combination with the development of various cultivation systems using peat substrates (including table-tops, plastic greenhouses, and glasshouses) resulted in a strawberry production period from March until December–January. Recently, interest in assimilation lighting in glasshouses has increased. At first, this allowed advanced production in February, but now even winter production is possible, resulting in fresh Belgian strawberries 365 days a year.