Advances in Strawberry Substrate Culture during the Last Twenty Years in the Netherlands and Belgium

Abstract

Commercial soilless systems for strawberry production were developed in the early 1970s in greenhouses in the Netherlands and Belgium. The use of substrate systems in permanent structures enabled year-round strawberry production and was an alternative to strawberry production on soils contaminated by root diseases, nematodes, and insects under permanent structures where strawberries were grown intensively year-around. In the last 20 years, economically sustainable substrate systems have been developed in the Netherlands and Belgium using production technologies introduced by skilled growers, researchers, and substrate suppliers. The use of high yielding short-day strawberry cultivars Elsanta and Sonata suited for out-of-season production has enabled this system to compete with open-field strawberry production. In 2010, soilless strawberry production in Western Europe exceeded 1,600 ha; with increased restrictions on use of soil fumigants and herbicides, it is expected that substrate culture will continue to expand. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.