Strawberries in North Carolina are a high value crop at an estimated $25 million annually, and they represent a $95.6 million dollar crop (farm gate value) for the 14 states who participate in the Eastern Strawberry Consortium for Critical Use Exemption (CUE) for methyl bromide (including SRSFC states NC, VA, SC, GA, TN and AR). Unfortunately, strawberry crop yields are easily diminished due to unfavorable or abrupt changes in the weather.  For example, ice crystals forming in the plant tissue can destroy or significantly lower yield.  However, action can be taken to mitigate crop losses.

The uncertainties associated with weather can be mitigated with the use of weather- or climate-based decision support systems.  As research makes known the specific relationships of weather, crop maturity, crop risk and disease development, the value of appropriate decision support tools becomes more evident.  Weather-based decision making is the key to improving crop yield and mitigating crop losses.

Row covers and/or irrigation can be used to insulate and protect strawberry crops against cold weather and freezing.  Timing this has to be just right to achieve optimal effectiveness.  Laying down covers too late may not provide enough insulation; irrigating too soon before a cold event may lead to additional heat loss by evaporation.  Due to the variable nature of weather and climate and local agricultural practices across our region, a crop advisory for one farm may not be appropriate for another.  A more sophisticated, location-dependent advisory is needed.

Since 2000, Dr. Barclay Poling has been manually calculating and distributing strawberry crop advisories for strategic regions in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia.  These advisories have proven to be extremely helpful and valuable to the growers.  Cooperative Extension Agents throughout strawberry growing counties in NC estimated that 30%-50% of the crop would be lost without berry mg advisories (E-NEWS type weather alerts).  In 2007, these advisories helped growers save from $7 to 8 million dollars worth of crop from the Easter Freeze in North Carolina.

The berry mg weather alerts are issued without interruption in periods of threatening weather events, such as the Easter Freeze of 2007 in which there were 14 updates over a period of one week (including several weekend alerts).  Last year, the Southern Region Small Fruit Consortium  (SRSFC) supported Dr. Poling’s request for an outreach grant to help pay for his various weather subscription services, including AWIS, SkyBit, and AccuWeather Professional and some student help so that he could provide timely strawberry frost, freeze and heat advisories to SRSFC growers and agents, and a number of these were posted on www.smallfruits.org in the 2008 strawberry season.  But, despite Dr. Poling’s best efforts to provide state by state advisories to strawberry growers in all of the SRSFC states and regions, it proved to be a very difficult task for one person.  To issue detailed advisories for each Southern Region state and its respective regions (e.g. coastal plain, piedmont, foothills and mountains of NC), would require an immense amount of time and resources.  However, by partnering with the State Climate Office of NC (SCO), software is currently being developed to automate strawberry advisories for growers all over North Carolina, and we would like to extend this service to the member states in the SRSFC.

The project we have submitted for funding to the SRSFC will continue an interdisciplinary collaboration between Barclay Poling and the NC State Climate Office (SCO).  The website (called FROSTY) being developed by the SCO asks strawberry growers several basic questions about the current status of their crop.  The inputs needed to make a location-specific strawberry advisory are:

1) farm location

2) type of groundcover between rows

3) strawberry varieties being grown

4) current crop stage

5) recent irrigation or rainfall amounts

6) available row covers and irrigation equipment

Combined with recent weather data archived by the SCO and Dr. Poling's advisory logic model (see next page), a customized advisory will be generated for the grower.  Using the SCO's numerical weather models, a forecast advisory will also be generated to help growers prepare for the next 1-3 days.  Considering the current and forecasted crop risk, the grower's available row covers and irrigation capacity, an actionable advisory will be generated.  The output generated will be simple and intuitive in both maps and charts.  If action is needed to protect the crop at the specified location, the specific action and timing will be recommended.  Information will be communicated via the website and Dr. Poling's existing channels with extension agents and farmers directly.

In 2009, it is our hope to provide a web-based product, FROSTY, to supplement berry mg advisories. The output generated will be simple and intuitive in both maps and charts. If action is needed to protect the crop at the specified location, the specific action and timing will be recommended.  Please bookmark this page and check back for updates.