Strawberry producers from the coasts of Huelva have been working in summer to prepare for the next strawberry campaign.
During the beginning of the summer period, producers remove the dry plants from the last season, fertilize the land with organic matter, and plow it several times. Then, during the month of August and September, producers use sprinkler irrigation and, when the soil is moist enough, ridge the terrain.
To do this, producers use specific machinery that creates ridges, installs the irrigation belt, and covers the ridges with black plastic, stated the Phytosanitary Alert and Information Network (RAIF) of the Junta de Andalucía.
Until last year, when 1,3-dichloropropene and chloropicrin were exceptionally authorized for soil disinfection, the machine itself also carried out the application by means of grid injection. Currently, prior to planting, the chemical disinfection of the soil with the formulations registered and authorized for cultivation is carried out through the irrigation belt once the land has been ridged. This requires qualified and officially accredited personnel.
Finally, the planting of the early varieties will begin in the last week of September. Most of them will be rooted in pots, with the bulk of the planting taking place around October 15.
The placement of the plastic covers to form macro tunnels to protect and create a favorable environment for the development of the crop will begin in mid-November. In the absence of precipitation, this work should be delayed as much as possible to favor the rooting of plants.
On its website, the RAIF maintains an updated list of the phytosanitary products authorized in the Integrated Production of strawberries and other berries, plus the provisional authorizations before their definitive inclusion in the Specific Regulations of Integrated Production.
On the other hand, the website of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Sustainable Development has a list of the exceptional authorizations in force in the production of strawberries and other berries, including those for soil disinfection.
Source: juntadeandalucia.es