Production Technology and Postharvest Practices of Strawberry

Strawberry is the highly appreciated fruit in the world and recently cultivated in Bangladesh. In this regard morphological characterization, production and postharvest technology of strawberry were systematically studied under subtropical climate of Bangladesh. Under this project 15 strawberry genotypes were evaluated and among them five were found suitable. From these studies, it revealed that the climate of Bangladesh is suitable for strawberry cultivation. However, among the three locations, Rajshahi region was found to be the best. Investigation on planting time revealed that first October planting was the best regarding growth, fruit yield and quality of strawberry. For determination of maturity indices of strawberry fruits, it revealed that the TSS content of fruits more than 7 % and sugar to acid ratio, more than 5 are important indicators for strawberry harvest. Considering visual appearance and nutrient contents, strawberry fruits were found better up to eight days when stored at lower temperature compared to higher temperatures. It was also found that strawberry is an unique fruit for processing in to jam, squash and candy and successfully stored under ambient condition.