Strawberry works in India as a cool-season, one-crop-a-year fruit: the plants go in around September to November, fruit comes from about November to April, and the best-known belt is Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani in Maharashtra, with trials and growers also in Assam and the Chhattisgarh plains, and other states using the same cool-season method. It needs disease-free planting stock every year, raised beds with plastic mulch, drip irrigation and a market within a day or two of picking, because the fruit does not keep.

Income can arrive in the first season, but costs are high and the price falls sharply once local supply peaks, so work out a break-even price before you plant.

Where it grows and what it needs

  • Climate: NHB's model project describes strawberry as a temperate crop; some cultivars suit the sub-tropics. Flower buds form under 12 hours of daylight or less and moderate temperature, so planting time is tied to the cool season, not to the calendar of other crops.
  • Soil: sandy loam to loam, pH 5.7 to 6.5 (NHB). Most roots sit in the top 15 cm, so drainage and organic matter matter more than depth. Red stele (a root disease) spreads in heavy, wet soil.
  • Mahabaleshwar: the Mahabaleshwar strawberry holds a GI tag (2010) and secondary reports put the belt's output at roughly 30,000 to 35,000 tonnes a year. Growers there reportedly import mother plants each June, raise runners in nurseries at Wai, plant out in September and harvest from November to about mid April.
  • Plains: an IGKV trial at Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh (altitude 307 m) planted on 20 October 2016 and fruited to March 2017, so open-field fruiting is possible in the plains where winters are cool enough, but it is a short, late-winter season.

Varieties

VarietyWhere reportedTraits
Chandler, Sweet CharlieMain varieties at Mahabaleshwar (secondary report); both are in the Assam package of practicesWidely planted; confirm chill and day-length fit with your nursery
Camarosa, Winter Dawn (Early Dawn)Mahabaleshwar; Assam lists Early Dawn and FestivalIn the Chhattisgarh trial Camarosa had the highest ascorbic acid but the lowest TSS (9.5 degrees Brix)
NabilaIGKV trial, RajnandgaonHighest yield, 35.40 t/ha; heaviest fruit (26 g); TSS 12 degrees Brix
KamilaIGKV trialThird highest yield; fruit 25.6 g
RaniaIGKV trialSmall fruit (14.9 g), TSS 11.6 degrees Brix
  • A single-location trial does not decide your variety. Compare two or three on a small plot, and buy from a nursery that supplies virus-free, cold-stored or tissue-culture plants; viruses travel through runners.

Planting and spacing

  • Time: September to November depending on altitude (September at Mahabaleshwar, October in the Chhattisgarh trial, November in the Assam package).
  • Beds: raised beds 15 cm high and 1.8 m wide, covered with 30 micron black plastic mulch; straw 4 to 6 inches thick is the alternative. Keep the crown above the soil surface.
  • Spacing: Assam recommends 45 x 45 cm and the NHB model uses 30 x 30 cm. On open ground that is about 20,000 plants per acre (49,000 per hectare) at 45 x 45 and about 45,000 per acre (1.1 lakh per hectare) at 30 x 30, before deducting the paths between beds, which usually remove a quarter or more.

Nutrition and irrigation

  • Assam package: 5 kg farmyard manure with 10 g N, 7 g P and 7 g K per sq m of bed. Apply phosphorus before planting, nitrogen in two splits (the first 3 weeks after planting) and potash at flowering.
  • NHB model: 25 to 50 t farmyard manure per hectare (10 to 20 t per acre), with 75 to 100 kg N, 40 to 120 kg P2O5 and 40 to 80 kg K2O per hectare (30 to 40 kg N, 16 to 49 kg P2O5 and 16 to 32 kg K2O per acre). Adjust with a soil test.
  • Water: light watering at 3 to 4 day intervals in the Assam package, more often during fruiting because frequent irrigation increases fruit size and yield. Drip under mulch keeps fruit and leaves dry; see drip irrigation and fertilizers.

Pests and diseases

  • Red spider mite and cutworms are the common pests (Assam package). White grubs and hairy caterpillars are also listed by NHB.
  • Diseases: red stele (Phytophthora), root rot, leaf spot, grey mould (Botrytis) and albinism (a physiological disorder, per NHB). Keep drainage good, remove diseased plants and fruit, and rotate with legume vegetables to lower leaf spot.
  • Mulch keeps berries off the soil and lowers grey mould. The Assam package names chlorothalonil, spiromesifen, clothianidin, thiamethoxam and fosetyl-Al for these problems. Strawberry is eaten fresh, so use only products registered for it, follow the label dose and waiting period, and check with your KVK before spraying; see pests.

Harvest and yield

  • Fruit ripens February to April in the Assam package; picking runs from November at Mahabaleshwar. For a nearby market pick fully ripe fruit; for distant markets pick firm, just before full colour.
  • Yield: Assam gives 200 to 250 quintals per hectare (80 to 100 q, or 8 to 10 t, per acre). NHB gives 45 to 100 q/ha as an average and 175 to 300 q/ha with good management. The Chhattisgarh open-field trial gave 35.4 t/ha (14 t per acre) for the best variety, which is a research plot result, not a farm average.
💡 Tip: Plant a quarter acre in your first season, fix your buyer (nearby town retailer, fruit shop, cafe or processor) before the first picking, and agree packing and pickup time. Strawberries picked in the morning and sold within a day lose little; unsold fruit has almost no value.

Cost and returns

  • Dated model: NHB's one-acre model project (based on 2001-02 data) shows a total cost of ₹4 lakh, of which ₹2.41 lakh is cultivation expense, and income of ₹3.2 lakh from 8 t at ₹40 per kg. These costs and prices are two decades old and are not a guide to today.
  • How to calculate: add plants, plastic mulch, drip, bed making, labour (picking is the biggest item), packing and transport, then divide by the kg you expect. For example, if your total cost is ₹4 lakh an acre and you harvest 8 t, you need ₹50 per kg just to break even; at 10 t the figure is ₹40 per kg.
  • Check the current farm-gate price in your nearest market before planting; the mandi bhav page lists reported prices. A verified current all-India farm-gate range was not found, and prices at the start of the season are far higher than at the peak.
  • Borrowing for the crop is possible under the KCC scheme; ask your bank about horticulture limits.

Market and risks

  • Fresh fruit goes to wholesalers, city retailers, hotels and cafes; surplus can go to processors of jam, crush and ice-cream. A secondary report says Mahabaleshwar supplies most of India's strawberry, so growers elsewhere should line up local and nearby city buyers before planting.
  • The main risks are perishability, heavy rain at fruiting (grey mould), early heat that ends the season, and diseased planting material. Strawberries need a cold chain for long hauls; see cold storage subsidy.
  • For protection from rain and a longer season, polyhouse cover is used; see polyhouse subsidy. Soil-less strawberry is covered in hydroponics farming.

Sources