The drop in temperatures announced by Aemet on Thursday, October 4, was the starting point for most of the Cooperatives and strawberry producing companies for this strawberry campaign 2018-2019.

The strawberry plantation in Huelva had to be delayed due to the high temperatures suffered at the end of September and at the beginning of October, which could affect the correct vegetative development of the plant. Plant that comes from nurseries of Castilla y León (Segovia, Ávila and Valladolid) where it develops in the spring-summer months and undergoes a process called vernalization, during which it accumulates the number of cold hours necessary for it to subsequently induce the flowering.

The drop in temperatures announced by Aemet on Thursday, October 4, led to the majority of the Cooperatives and strawberry producing companies the starting signal for this strawberry campaign 2018-2019, in which it is estimated to harvest an area similar to the one of last year of about 6.000 hectares, and if the weather conditions allow, the strawberries will reach its consumers across Europe on Christmas.

To this, it must be added the complications suffered by the rains of the last weeks that in certain cases have meant the temporary cessation of the plantation, which for this campaign is estimated at 14 million daily plants, and will add approximately 350 million at the end of this stage. From this moment, the installation of the plastic covers in the characteristic tunnel type greenhouses and the development of the multiple cultivated varieties in Huelva will begin, with a view to covering very different markets depending on the context.

We must remember that the productive sector of the strawberry of Huelva accounts for 95% of the total national production of this fruit, generates approximately 10.000 jobs during the campaign, and in the campaign 2017-2018 reached a total production of 280.000 tons with a turnover of 437.268.000 euros.

The cultivation of berries and, particularly of strawberry, has always been of great demand in products and nutritious solutions of high quality to achieve a successful harvest and a high profitability. For this reason, Cultifort has focused in the development of specific products for each stage of development this crop.

In the first stages of root and vegetative development, root applications of 5-10 l / ha with MICROVITAL-L are of vital importance every 7-14 days. With MICROVITAL – L, the strawberry crop will achieve:

  • Improvement of soil structure and fertility.
  • Micronutrient support and mobilization of macronutrients.
  • Increase in the infiltration rate and circulation of water and air by 14%.
  • Increase in soil organic matter and water retention capacity of the soil.
  • Increased soil cation exchange capacity (CIC).

For situations of waterlogging and low oxygenated soils, so common in these months, we recommend use of OXIFORT with a dosage of 10kg / ha every 7-14 days. It is a nitropotassium fertilizer enriched with oxygen that provides oxygenation and disinfection of the bulb, avoiding root asphyxia and proliferation of anaerobic pathogenic fungi such as Phytophtora, Rhizoctonia, Pythium, Verticilium, etc. responsible for many rottenness.

In addition, this oxygenation of soil promotes the development and regeneration of damaged roots and helps microbial activity, facilitating the proliferation of microorganisms necessary for the decomposition of organic matter and endorses the activity of aerobic bacteria such as nitrifiers that facilitate the assimilation of nutrients for the plants.