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Does Early Flower Removal Actually Result in Higher Fruit Yield in Strawberry?
I had a great conversation earlier today with a grower concerning the effect to strawberry fruit productivity of removing the emerging flowers in the early winter months of the season. Beautiful field by the way, good strong plants, nice and green.
Many people working in strawberries on the Central Coast believe that removal of the flowers will keep the plant vegetative since it removes the energy burden of flower and fruit production. Subsequently, the thought continues, the plant will be bigger and more productive later on. It's good logic sure, but it isn't standing up to the cold lens of purely objective scientific investigation.
In the investigation I did over two years in four fields total with two of our finest growers, I found that plant size did not vary significantly from the flower removal and fruit production beyond March and April did not vary either. What's more, since fruit production in May, June, July and August was so much larger than those two months in the day-neutral strawberry varieties in this study, it totally damped out any effect on season total yields that early removal of flowers would have had.
I've included the paper below I wrote in 2023 covering this research project about the effect of early flower removal along with a closer evaluation at the influence of crown size on total plant performance.
It was a good study, have a look.
horttech-article-p342
An Afternoon in the Lepidoptera Collection
What's his number? 2,530. That's how many specimen drawers that Jeff Smith, volunteer curator...
Jeff Smith (foreground), curator of the Bohart Museum of Entomology's global Lepidoptera, chats with guests. In back is Bohart associate Greg Kareofelas. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Jeff Smith (foreground), curator of the Lepidoptera collection, holds the rapt attention of three retirees: Susan Knadle (left) and her husband Chuck Salocks of Davis and Carrye Cooper of Redondo Beach. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bohart Museum associate Greg Kareofelas with two UC Davis students: Emily Anne Richter (left), a chemistry major, and Lalinna Naini, majoring in environmental toxicology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bohart Museum associate Greg Kareofelas shows butterfly specimens to UC Davis students: Emily Anne Richter (right), a chemistry major, and Lalinna Naini, majoring in environmental toxicology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis entomology major Oliver Smith, the greeter at the Lepidoptera collection, thanks two guests for attending. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bumble Bee Contest Is Over!
The 2025 bumble bee contest is over. Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator of...
webinar video on electric weed control in organic perennial crops
A quick post on a Friday afternoon to share a link to a recent (January 14, 2025) webinar on...
EWC webinar image 011425
Learning About the Importance of Blow Flies Through Maggot Art
Young artists learned about the importance of blow flies last Saturday at the Bohart Museum of...
UC Davis Entomology Club members Emi Marrujo (background) and Riley Hoffman staffing the maggot art table and discussing the importance of blow flies and maggots. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Entomologist Riley Hoffman at the maggot art table at the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Emi Marrujo assists Phoenix Leeper, 6, of Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Emi Marrujo, a fourth-year student majoring in American Studies and minoring in insect biology, psychology and museums studies, tells the young artists the importance of blow flies in the ecosystem. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Colorful maggot art, signed by "Liv." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
