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The experiment entitled "Influence of pre harvest application of Hexanal and Salicylic acid at storage temperatures on fruit quality and shelf life of strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) cv. Winter Dawn" was carried out at Dr. YSRHU-College of Horticulture, Andhra Pradesh during the year 2023-24. The experiment was laid out in a factorial completely randomized design (FCRD) with three replications consisting of ten treatment combinations having two factors viz., pre harvest chemicals spray at five levels (P1: Control (Tap water), P2: Hexanal @ 2mM, P3: Hexanal @ 4mM, P4: Salicylic acid @ 2mM and P5: Salicylic acid @ 4mM and different storage temperatures at two levels (S1: 3 ℃ temperature and S2: 6 ℃ temperature). Results were significant among the treatment combinations for shelf life, fruit qualities The maximum shelf life (20.33 days), less physiological loss in weight (4.53%), TSS (8.17 °Brix), maximum ascorbic acid content (45.26mg/100g), less total anthocyanin content (56.64 mg/100g), more phenolic content (282.33 mg GE/100g) and highest antioxidant activity (63.64 % DPPH Inhibition) were recorded in fruits sprayed with 4mM Hexanal and stored at 6 °C temperature on 12th days of storage. Hence, pre harvest application of Hexanal @ 4mM followed by 6 °C storage temperature could be the best to enhance fruit quality and shelf life of strawberry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strawberry fruit production needs better and more efficient control of all agricultural inputs used in its cultivation. Otherwise, a sufficient return is difficult to obtain. As a result, some growth-regulating compounds can be used at specific periods of growth to increase yield potential. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with nine treatments viz., T1= 50 mg l-1 NAA, T2= 75 mg l-1 NAA, T3=100 mg l-1 NAA, T4= 125 mg l-1 NAA, T5=50 mg l-1 GA3, T6 = 75 mg l-1 GA3, T7 = 100 mg l-1 GA3, T8 = 125 mg l-1 GA3 and T9 = No spray (Control), which were replicated thrice. Among different application of plant growth regulator, 100 mg l-1 GA3 performed significantly superior over other treatment with respect to percentage of marketable fruit (85.73%), marketable fruit yield (108.95 q/ha), total yield (117.15 q/ha), net income (10,79,717 Rs/ha) and BCR (2.42) with minimum percentage of non-marketable fruit (14.27%) and non-marketable fruit yield (8.19 q/ha), whereas highest fruit set (61.47%) was observed in 125 mg l-1 NAA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines global agrifood chains from a perspective that links economic activity to sociocultural transformations in the social sphere—often categorized as private and independent of the economic domain. Specifically, the study examines the relations established between recruitment policies, work, and sexuality in the intensive cultivation of strawberries in Andalusia, Spain. Taking a feminist political economy and intersectional approach, the ethnographic analysis centers on sexuality in socio-labor spaces in the context of the policies to recruit quotas of women from their home countries on temporary contracts. The analysis starts by exploring the way that the changing recruitment criteria of the Spanish temporary farmworker program define the ideal woman worker and how sexuality is constructed in social representations and relations. The analysis then shows how the sexualization of temporary women workers from eastern Europe is constructed through comparisons of the various groups of workers (Polish, Romanian, Romani, Moroccan, and Andalusian). In the final section, the study examines the articulation of contradictory representations of sexuality and behavior with systems of control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought stress is one of the challenges that can affect the growth and the quality of strawberry. The study aims to determine the growth, biochemical changes and leaf gas exchange of three strawberry cultivars under drought stress. This study was conducted in a glasshouse at Indonesian Citrus and Subtropical Fruits Research Institute, Indonesia, from July-November 2018. The experiment was arranged in a factorial randomized completely block design (RCBD) with three replications and four water deficit (WD) levels [100% field capacity (FC)/well-watered), 75% of FC (mild WD), 50% of FC (moderate WD), and 25% of FC (severe WD)] for three strawberry cultivars (Earlibrite, California and Sweet Charlie). The results showed that total chlorophyll and anthocyanin contents (p = 0.05) were influenced by the interaction effects of cultivars and water deficit. Whereas other parameters such as plant growth, transpiration rate (E), net photosynthesis (A), stomatal conductance (gs), leaf relative water content (LRWC), flowers and fruits numbers, proline content, length, diameter, weight and total soluble solid (TSS) of fruit were affected by water deficit. A had positive significant correlation with plant height (r = 0.808), leaf area (r = 0.777), fruit length (r = 0.906), fruit diameter (r = 0.889) and fruit weight (r = 0.891). Based on the results, cultivars affected LRWC, and also number of flowers and fruits of the strawberry. This study showed that water deficit decreased plant growth, chlorophyll content, leaf gas exchange, leaf relative water content, length, diameter and weight of fruit but enhanced TSS, anthocyanin, MDA, and proline contents. Increased anthocyanin and proline contents are mechanisms for protecting plants against the effects of water stress. California strawberry had the highest numbers of flowers and fruits, and also anthocyanin content. Hence, this cultivar is recommended to be planted under drought stress conditions. Among all water stress treatments, 75% of FC had the best results to optimize water utilization on the strawberry plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a globalized world, the pursuit of a better future means that large numbers of people seek refuge in the most prosperous areas. Their need to reach the promised land takes them to the frontier between the legal and the illegal, which is more visible in contexts where temporary labor is needed. That is particularly the case of the strawberry growing fields in the province of Huelva, Spain, where temporary settlements are overcrowded with immigrants during the harvesting season. This article describes the systemic and symbolic violence that takes place in these contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methyl iodide, once promoted as a suitable alternative to methyl bromide for soil fumigation in strawberry systems, was withdrawn from the market in 2012 after a contentious regulatory battle that revolved around its high toxicity. At the time of its withdrawal, Arysta LifeScience, the maker of the chemical, claimed that it was no longer economically viable. In this study, I investigated what made the chemical nonviable, with a specific focus on growers' nonadoption of it. Interviews with strawberry growers in the four top California strawberry-growing counties revealed that growers' decisions not to use it were primarily related to public disapproval, although the continued availability of methyl bromide and other fumigants played a contributing role by making adoption less urgent. The study results suggest that policies in place during the methyl bromide phaseout did not strongly encourage the development and extension of less toxic alternatives, which undermined the strawberry industry's position.

The Florida strawberry industry has been plagued by severe labor shortages. This paper investigates growers’ labor demand and labor shortages based on a survey conducted in 2016. We found that labor shortages increase over the season, ranging from a shortage of 14 workers per 100 acres in September to 35 workers per 100 acres in March, the peak harvesting season.

The article explores the application of the Californian agricultural model in the strawberry sector in the San Quintin Valley in Baja California, Mexico. It analyzes economic operations by transnational commercial companies, as well as anti-corporate mobilization among agricultural day laborers. The study contributes to the debate on global production chains and networks, transnational corporations, and agri-food studies, combining analyses of the processes of capital circulation and the social relations of production. The research was conducted over several stages in 2016 and 2017, using a combination of quantitative and above all qualitative techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the effect of irrigation and mulch on the yield of strawberry (line FA-007), this study was conducted at the experimental fields of Pomology Division, BARI, Gazipur and RARS, BARI, Rangpur during Rabi season of 2012-13 and 2013-14. The experiment was conducted followed by the split-plot design with two mulches (black plastic and rice straw), three levels of irrigation (5, 10, and 15 days interval), and three replications. A significant difference was observed for most of the parameters among different treatments for both locations. Irrigation at 5 days interval with rice straw mulch in Gazipur and irrigation at 5 days interval with black polythene mulch in Rangpur were performed better for most of the yield-contributing characters and yield among all other treatments for both the years. But in respect to water productivity, 10 days irrigation interval with rice straw mulch in Gazipur and 10 days interval with black polythene mulch in Rangpur showed highest results among all other treatments. However, it can be concluded that any irrigation practices from the abovementioned options could be adopted by the farmers based on their feasibility and water availability for strawberry cultivation in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Although strawberry ( Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) species are sensitive to abiotic stress conditions, some cultivars are known to be tolerant to different environmental conditions. We examined the response of different strawberry cultivars to water stress conditions in terms of yield, quality and biochemical features. The trial was conducted under two different irrigation regimes: in grow bags containing cocopeat (control, 30%; water stress, 15% drainage) with four different cultivars (Camarosa, Albion, Amiga and Rubygem). RESULTS Fruit weight declined by 59.72% and the yield per unit area by 63.62% under water stress conditions as compared to control. Albion and Rubygem were found to be more tolerant and Amiga the most sensitive in terms of yield under stress conditions. Water stress increased all biochemical features in fruits such as total phenol, total anthocyanin, antioxidant activity and sugar contents. Among the cultivars, glucose and fructose was higher in Albion. CONCLUSION Considering the rise in global warming, identification of resistant and tolerant cultivars to stress conditions are crucial for future breeding programmes. Our results showed that some of the fruit's physical features were affected negatively by stress conditions whereas many of the biochemical features such as total anthocyanin content, total phenolic content and antioxidant activity were positively modulated. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strawberries are one of the most popular fruits in Japan and they have a high antioxidant content. In this study, the contents in strawberry receptacles were extracted with supercritical carbon dioxide and entrainers. Using ethanol, acetone, and water as entrainers improved the antioxidant capacity and increased the amounts of total saccharides and cinnamic acid in the extract. In supercritical carbon dioxide + ethanol, the extract yield increased slightly with increasing pressure up to 20 MPa at 313 K whereas the extract yield was almost constant against temperature. The amounts of total saccharides and cinnamic acid increased with increasing temperature and pressure. The antioxidant capacity increased, and then decreased with increasing temperature at 20 MPa and increasing pressure at 313 K. The optimal conditions for antioxidant capacity were 313 K and 20 MPa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite its benefits, adoption of organic farming is low in Brazil. We used the theory of planned behavior to determine factors that influenced a farmer's decision to adopt organic production methods and identify key social psychological barriers. We focused on strawberry production as a model, and surveyed 83 conventional strawberry farmers (response rate 90.2%), and found that attitudes and perceived behavioral control (PBC) predicted intent to adopt organic production ( r 2 = 37.2%). For farmers interested in conversion, beliefs about the improved social/financial status from conversion were positively related to their attitude toward conversion, and the lack of control over informational and physical resources was negatively related to PBC. For farmers disinterested in conversion, the influence of their social norms was stronger than for interested farmers, and PBC most strongly influenced their intention to convert. These results suggest that different strategies should be pursued for encouraging conversion to organic strawberry production. For interested farmers, their interest may be enhanced by addressing their attitudinal beliefs, and allaying concerns over access to technical assistance. For disinterested producers, it may be important to raise the salience of their positive attitudinal beliefs, involve people whose opinions they value, and enhance their perceived control over information and risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper models the U.S. strawberry market and examines how increasing imports from Mexico affect the prices and shipment values of California and Florida winter strawberries. The Synthetic Inverse Demand System is used to quantify the impact of Mexican shipments on the prices of strawberries. The estimation results indicate that market prices are responsive to supply from each of the three sources, suggesting an integrated, competitive national market. The simulation results suggest that rapidly growing Mexican shipments will cause large losses to the U.S. strawberry industry, posing challenges to the sustainability and survival of the industry, particularly that of the Florida industry. Policy implications and recommendations for the industry are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2016 marked the year of the final phaseout of methyl bromide for use in strawberry production. During the long phaseout period, one replacement fumigant met so much public opposition it was taken off the market, while restrictions on use of other fumigants increased. As part of a larger study on the challenges facing the strawberry industry, I tracked fumigant use through California's pesticide use reporting system from 2004 to 2013. During the last few years before the phaseout, I interviewed 74 growers in the four main strawberry production regions about how they were now managing soilborne pests. As a general trend, growers had increased their use of chloropicrin and switched from broadcast fumigation to bed fumigation, and many were experimenting with organics. At the same time, significant percentages of growers were reluctant to change fumigation regimes or adopt nonchemical options of pathogen control. Some were unable to adopt less chemical-intensive methods because of land access conditions and land costs. Given these land-related obstacles, policymakers ought to consider strategies that will incentivize transitions to nonchemical alternatives and mitigate the financial risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted choice experiments with both strawberry producers and consumers. Consumer and producer willingness to pay (WTP) for the fruit attributes were estimated using mixed logit models. Through simulation using the mixed logit model results, we derived the market equilibrium prices, supply and demand curve, as well as quantities demanded and supplied for every fruit attribute. We found the highest equilibrium price was for strawberry internal color followed by flavor. Strawberry breeders can use the information when setting breeding targets, allocating resources appropriately during their breeding process and focusing on the improvement of attributes that produce the highest social surplus and total revenue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, it was aimed to compare organic and conventional strawberry seedling cultivation media in terms of cost and profitability. This study was carried out in the Apricot Research Institute in Malatya province, Turkey. Albion and Sweet Charlie varieties were used in the experiment. The production costs of Albion and Sweet Charlie strawberry varieties were calculated in different growing media. Calculation of the production costs of the fresh plug strawberry seedlings was done in two steps. First, the production costs of strawberry runner plants were calculated, then the production costs of fresh plug strawberry seedlings were found. According to the results of the research, the cost of a runner plant was found to be the highest for the Albian Biodecal application, while the lowest was detected for Sweet Charlie Control application. According to different applications, the cost of strawberry branch plant was determined as 0.376, 0.341, 0.273, and 0.235 TL/unit for Albian Biodecal, Albian Control, Sweet Charlie Biodecal and Sweet Charlie Control applications, respectively(1 USD=3.02 TL in 2016, average). When the production costs of Albion and Sweet Charlie strawberry seedling obtained from Biodecal application were compared with the sale price, it can be said that production cost was lower than sale price for all the organic growing media (except for IT (Imported Turf) growing medium for Albion strawberry seedling obtained from Biodecal application), but in the conventional growing media, production costs was found to be higher than the sale price. Similar results have been found for the strawberry seedlings obtained from the control application. When organic applications were compared with each other, it was determined that KP (1:1 ratio local turf: perlite) was the growing medium which had the lowest production cost for Albion strawberry seedling obtained from Biodecal application, OE (1:1 ratio local turf: perlite + ecoflora providing 50 mg kg-1 potassium) for Sweet Charlie strawberry seedling obtained from Biodecal application, KP for Albion strawberry seedling obtained from control application and OE for Sweet Charlie strawberry seedling obtained from control application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I examine how strawberry growers’ experiences of a farm labor shortage have led them to attend to plant vigor and the conditions of strawberry harvesting as a labor recruitment strategy. Both allow harvest workers, who work primarily on piece rates, to earn more money per input of time. These were unexpected findings in a larger study in which I examine how California’s strawberry industry is responding to tighter regulatory restrictions for soil fumigants. Drawn from semi-structured interviews with strawberry growers and industry representatives, these data paint a picture of worker capriciousness in an industry in which loyalty has been a major form of labor control. In making the empirical case, I engage with the work of Wells, who wrote extensively about how industry structure and the natural characteristics of the strawberry had coalesced to discipline workers. Noting that her arguments revolved on conditions of labor surplus, I discuss recent changes in labor market conditions, brought about in part by the changed US border and immigration policy, that have given workers a modicum of leverage. Nevertheless, working conditions remain grueling and pay rates not substantially changed, suggesting that growers would prefer to tinker with the technological conditions of production than significantly alter prevailing wages. In noting workers’ apparent effect on the material conditions in which they work, this article contributes to discussions in labor geography on worker agency in shaping economic landscapes at the same time it speaks to the broader constraints farmworkers face in agricultural labor markets. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Soil fumigants have been critical to the California strawberry industry's success, but they are also highly toxic to farmworkers and nearby residents. This article traces recent regulatory debates over restrictions on their use which were cast as a contest of lives and livelihoods: activists emphasized the danger of the chemicals while industry emphasized their necessity. Activists' claims were typical of environmental justice battles that focus on disproportionate toxic exposure to marginalized populations, but I problematize that they downplayed industry concern with farmworker jobs. Drawing on Marx, Foucault and recent literature on surplus populations and disposability, I suggest that the analytical separation of lives and livelihoods is complicit in the making of disposable workers such as California farmworkers. Strategically, upholding the separation was a missed opportunity to leverage the strawberry industry's new-found concern with farmworker employment and push for measures that protect current and future farmworker health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the legal demise of sharecropping in California’s strawberry industry, shippers and other intermediaries began to forge contractual ‘partnerships’ with former farmworkers and ranch managers, providing financing and market access, while giving these new growers responsibility for hiring labor and paying other expenses. Within an array of contracting arrangements, these operate in the worst of all worlds with many expenses returning to the shipper and little possibility of upside reward. Yet these arrangements are touted in the name of helping former farmworkers become farmers. Building on the literature on contract farming, this contribution discusses the ability to obtain rents as an under-recognized advantage of contracts for shippers, which further compromises the livelihoods of growers, especially those in ‘partnership’ arrangements who are particularly squeezed. This paper then suggests a further advantage to shippers: the ability to devolve biopolitical responsibility to growers. Growers are put in the impossible position of having to produce healthy berries at low cost while protecting human health through enhanced fumigant regulation. Partner-growers who tend to farm in poor ecological conditions are in the worst position to meet these competing imperatives. Shippers, however, are able to take the high road by claiming to move beyond pesticides. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ABSTRACT An online choice experiment was conducted to investigate U.S. consumer preferences for attributes of fresh market strawberry fruit. Using a latent class logit model, three different groups of consumers are identified: 'Balanced Consumers,' 'Experience Attribute Sensitive Consumers,' and 'Search Attribute Sensitive Consumers.' This information on consumer segmentation can help the fresh market strawberry industry identify target markets, and provides valuable information to breeders, growers, and retailers to prioritize fruit attributes in their breeding, growing, or product sourcing decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The colour of freshly processed strawberry spread changes relatively rapidly from a bright red to a dull red, which then makes its appearance generally less acceptable for consumers. The colours of strawberry spreads following several processing conditions were measured under different storage conditions. Additional sugar and colorant had only slight effects on the colour decay, while exclusion of oxygen and daylight did not affect this process. The only condition that clearly maintained the freshly processed appearance was storage at 4°C. Hexagonal bottles were filled with the strawberry spreads and their colour was repeatedly measured at the six sides of the bottles, using a Minolta chroma meter. Data were analysed using non--linear indexed regression analysis based on a logistic function for the three colour aspect of a*, b* and L*. This technology allowed the determination of the variation in these data in terms of improved reliability (Radj², >90%). It also allowed better interpretation of the processes involved. All variations in the data could be attributed to technical variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimum combination of ultrasound, vanillin and pomegranate extract to improve quality of strawberry juice was determined using response surface methodology. Samples were stored at 5 °C for 14 days. The optimal conditions to simultaneously minimize native microflora, maximize nutritional parameters and minimize the impact on sensory quality resulted in: 7.5 min of ultrasound treatment, pomegranate extract concentration of 360 μg/mL and vanillin concentration of 0.925 mg/mL. A new batch of strawberry juice was treated at these optimal conditions and stored for validation of the optimization and to evaluate the performance of the optimum treatment on quality parameters throughout storage. Furthermore, a second batch of juice was inoculated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 and processed at optimal conditions to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment on the pathogen survival. The native microflora of the juice, as well as inoculated pathogen, decreased significantly using the proposed hurdle technologies, with no impact on sensory parameters. Ascorbic acid retention was slightly decreased by the optimum treatment; however, DPPH and polyphenolic compounds were significantly higher than those in untreated sample. Overall, a combination of ultrasound, vanillin and pomegranate extract showed interesting potential to enhance quality and safety of strawberry juice, extending the shelf-life of the product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent years have seen heightened restrictions on the use of several chemical fumigants of great concern to California's lucrative strawberry industry. This study sought to investigate what fumigation chemicals and methods growers were using in this rapidly shifting regulatory context and what shaped their decisions. The primary methods involved tracking fumigant use through California's pesticide surveillance program and interviewing strawberry growers in the four counties that contain the major strawberry regions in California. Many growers have compensated for the loss of methyl bromide by a lateral shift to the use of other fumigants despite more stringent mitigation measures. Some have also changed their fumigation regimes from broadcast fumigation to bed fumigation. At the same time, increasing numbers of growers are also converting acreage to organics, although mainly in response to market considerations. Growers' decisions about what road to take are in part based on how they weigh concerns with efficacy, safety, and costs, although cost considerations dominate the decision-making of low resource growers. In addition, the study found that the cost and availability of suitable land and the conditions under which it is available play a significant role in many growers' decisions, considerations that has received little attention in the social science literature about grower decision-making around pesticide use. Since land dynamics create both opportunities and obstacles that tend to thwart regulatory goals, addressing the dynamics of land markets may be an important arena for future policy interventions around fumigant use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In March of 2012, following a robust activist campaign, Arysta LifeScience withdrew the soil fumigant methyl iodide from the US market, just a little over a year after it had finally been registered for use in California. As a major part of the campaign against registration of the chemical, over 53,000 people, ostensibly acting as citizens rather than consumers, wrote public comments contesting the use of the chemical for its high toxicity. Although these comments had marginal impact on the outcome of the case, these comments are of interest for what they say about public action at a time when efforts to address food and agricultural issues have been dominated by 'voting with your fork.' Based on a qualitative textual analysis of approximately 3500 representative comments made available to us, we show that many of those taking action did not abandon consumer subjectivities associated with neoliberal governmentality. By threatening 'personal boycotts,' some were acting in their capacity as individual consumers; in invoking their own and their children's health many more were also acting on behalf of consumers, despite that the chemical in question is applied before strawberries are planted and thus leaves no residues. The emphasis that letter writers gave to their own bodies reinforces the idea that some bodies count more than others and thus reveals a biopolitical sorting. Having consumer lives matter is consequential in light of evidence that consumer concern about pesticides has historically led to formulations and regulations more protective of consumers than workers and neighbors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study was to develop a cradle to farm gate life cycle inventory and assess the environmental impacts of strawberry production in four major strawberry producing states of the United States: California, Florida, North Carolina and Oregon, representing 99% of the United States strawberry production. Life cycle environmental impacts depend strongly on geographic location and production practices. Data for California and North Carolina strawberry production were collected in collaboration with agricultural economists from those states using the “LCA Extended Enterprise Budget” Excel sheet (version 4.11). Data for Florida strawberry production were collected from the state's existing enterprise budget (a detailed accounting of production costs and returns which estimates profitability of an enterprise). Data related to Oregon strawberry production were obtained through interviews with strawberry producers. OpenLCA software was used to conduct life cycle assessment for strawberry production. Missing unit processes for production of agricultural machinery, pesticides, fertilizers and materials were modeled based on existing literature. In order to better assess the sustainability of strawberry production, three metrics encompassing nitrogen productivity, phosphorous productivity and fossil energy productivity were introduced. Global warming potential for California, Florida, North Carolina and Oregon strawberry production was estimated to be 1.75, 2.50, 5.48 and 2.21 kg CO 2 -eq per 1 kg of strawberry, respectively. The difference between LCA results was due to variation in yield and management practices which depend on geographic location. Plastics, fuels and fertilizers were the inputs with the highest contribution to environmental impact categories. California strawberry production scored the highest on three sustainability metrics mainly due to having the highest strawberry yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demise of the soil fumigant, Midas, was heralded as a major environmental movement achievement, when Arysta LifeScience eventually deemed it economically non-viable and withdrew from US markets just before resolution of a lawsuit. Building on scholarship that focuses on strategy to understand how social movements sometimes win, we show how activist tactics were able to exploit the missteps of their opponents. These included the unreasonable expectations of Arysta for grower adoptions, the foibles of the director of California's Department of Pesticide Regulation in registering the chemical, and the reluctance of California's strawberry industry to discontinue use of methyl bromide. Although activist tactics, such as public comments and protests, had only a modest impact on the regulatory process, they had a major impact on grower adoptions of the chemical. This, together with a lawsuit that was not going well for the defendants, ultimately led to the withdrawal. Still, there was a great deal of luck involved, especially in the lawsuit in which the judge made rulings and statements favourable to the plaintiffs. Here, ‘scientization’, worked in favour of the movement rather than the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

At the end of the production period of strawberries grown in subtropical regions, postharvest durability is severely diminished due to rising temperatures which compromises the commercialization of fresh fruit. An ideal option would be to process strawberries in the form of preserves, jams, and jellies. Along this line it becomes extremely important to conduct a survey of which cultivars grown in subtropical regions are more suitable for processing in the form of jelly, as well as to understand what the consumer profile is for this product. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of different strawberry cultivars grown in subtropical regions of Brazil (Camarosa, Festival, San Andreas, Oso Grande, Camino Real, and Albion) on the physicochemical characteristics, rheological properties and sensory acceptance of the resulting jelly in order to identify cultivars with the greatest potential for industrial use. The strawberry cultivars presented different physicochemical characteristics which resulted in jellies with different physicochemical and rheological characteristics. In this study, however, we verified that all cultivars have potential to be processed in the form of jelly due to good acceptance of all formulations prepared. In general consumers prefer a lighter-colored strawberry jelly, with a less intense red color, more acidic, and less consistent/firm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emiralem located in the Gediz River basin which is having a significant agricultural potential is a county familiar with strawberry production. The fact that production style in the basis of yield associated with careless fertilizer use gave rise to soil, water and air pollution has become a threat to the environment. This study aims at describing the current circumstances on probable jeopardies toward human health and environmental pollution and examines the producer behaviors in order to increase the production potential of the region. For this purpose a survey of 67 producers covering 150 structured questions was carried out in the area. The data was analyzed via some descriptive statistical analysis techniques and particularly Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The analysis depicted that the producers were seeking both quality and quantity during the strawberry production. It is also deduced that the farmers should be trained for sensitive production applications to environment via extension services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the agricultural labor and immigration reform in the U.S. Topics include the specialty crop growers will depend on the number of farm workers to grow, harvest and packing their fresh crops, the annual average number of hired farm workers in the U.S. Agriculture and Average Wage rates and the number of imported strawberries from Mexico and Florida.

Over the past several years, strawberry production in Canada and the United States has been severely affected by strawberry acute decline symptoms. The decline disease is apparently caused by synergistic infections of several viruses, includingStrawberry mild yellow edge virus(SMYEV) andStrawberry mottle virus(SMoV). To better understand the causal viral pathogens, we cloned and sequenced the entire genome of a SMYEV isolate, AB5-2, from a strawberry field in Prince Edward Island. The viral genome of AB5-2 consists of 5969 nucleotides excluding the 3ʹ terminal poly(A) tail. Searches of the NCBI database identified two SMYEV isolates (MY-18 from the USA and D74 from Germany) whose complete genome sequences were documented and 28 SMYEV isolates with determined coat protein (CP) sequences. At the genome level, the Canadian SMYEV isolate shares 86% and 90% nucleotide sequence identities to MY-18 and D74, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of all CP sequences available clustered 28 SMYEV isolates into five phylogroups, including AB5-2 alone as a new group, suggesting this Canadian isolate is distinct from SMYEV isolates of other origins. This report represents the first molecular characterization of a SMYEV isolate from Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mexican immigrants play an important role in the development of the strawberry sharecropping industry in California. Although scholars have studied the political economy of strawberry sharecropping, I examine Mexican immigrant male and female sharecroppers who restructured their households to employ mostly women and underage pickers during the strawberry harvest. Based on ethnographic research and my autoethnography, I argue that sharecroppers developed a complex social system to pay wages, distribute domingos (pocket money), collect stipends, and manage savings—not without some tension along gender lines—within immigrant households. Using a feminist political economy perspective, this article sheds new light on the economic and social reproduction of the immigrant household and the appropriation of women's undervalued labor in advanced capitalist economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fragaria × ananassa (common name: strawberry) is a globally cultivated hybrid species belonging to Rosaceae family. Colletotrichum acutatum sensu lato (s.l.) is considered to be the second most economically important pathogen worldwide affecting strawberries. A collection of 148 Colletotrichum spp. isolates including 67 C. acutatum s.l. isolates associated with the phytosanitary history of UK strawberry production were used to characterize multi-locus genetic variation of this pathogen in the UK, relative to additional reference isolates that represent a worldwide sampling of the diversity of the fungus. The evidence indicates that three different species C. nymphaeae, C. godetiae and C. fioriniae are associated with strawberry production in the UK, which correspond to previously designated genetic groups A2, A4 and A3, respectively. Among these species, 12 distinct haplotypes were identified suggesting multiple introductions into the country. A subset of isolates was also used to compare aggressiveness in causing disease on strawberry plants and fruits. Isolates belonging to C. nymphaeae, C. godetiae and C. fioriniae representative of the UK anthracnose pathogen populations showed variation in their aggressiveness. Among the three species, C. nymphaeae and C. fioriniae appeared to be more aggressive compared to C. godetiae. This study highlights the genetic and pathogenic heterogeneity of the C. acutatum s.l. populations introduced into the UK linked to strawberry production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]