<b>By TIM THORNBERRY<br>
Kentucky Correspondent</b> </p><p>

PRINCETON, Ky. — As most of us settle in for the proverbial long winter’s nap, thoughts of spring are usually present - especially for farmers.</p><p>
After a tough 2007, many are looking for a better year and researchers at the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Agriculture are working on projects to make life easier and more prosperous for producers.</p><p>
One such project comes by way of Joe Masabni, UK fruit and vegetable specialist who is working to enhance strawberry production and find ways to protect the plants from swings in winter temperatures. The research will also help with early ripening.
Masabni said Kentucky is unique because many warming trends occur during the winter. Recently temperatures rose to spring-like levels of nearly 70 degrees F.</p><p>
“Strawberries are of interest to a lot of our growers and a great cash crop in the spring,” said Masabni. “The temperature fluctuations in late winter and early spring cause flower injury and yield reduction. In a year like last year with the Easter freeze, yields were significantly lowered, and some growers were completely out of business.”</p><p>
Last year’s early warming trend brought many early spring plants to life only to suffer from that freeze. The wheat crop saw extensive damage, as well. While many growers allow their plants to go dormant in the winter, Masabni said strawberries have the potential to keep growing even through the coldest months.</p><p>
“The idea is to keep the plants alive and growing throughout the winter and not go completely dormant,” Masabni said. “This will give them a 10-day jump start in spring growth because they aren’t in deep dormancy.”</p><p>
Previous research at UK involved greenhouses and structures known as high tunnels to keep plants awake in the midst of winter. The most recent research by Masabni also involves smaller structures he described as medium tunnels used to protect plants he studied during travels to Uruguay. With the high interest in strawberry production and various protection methods available, he said he wanted to see what would work best for Kentucky’s producers.</p><p>
The project involves using a production method called plasticulture, where plants are planted in the fall, harvested in the spring and then removed. This method uses raised beds covered in plastic with each raised row having two rows of berries.</p><p>
The experiment includes five areas of study including a high tunnel covering two beds, a medium-sized tunnel covering one bed, a small tunnel consisting of metal hoops covered with a floating row cover, rows covered with just the floating row cover and plants that aren’t covered at all. The tunnels are made from PVC, rope, clear plastic and anchors and are tall enough for a person to enter.</p><p>
The strawberries were planted in mid-September and covered Dec. 1. Air and soil temperatures are being recorded for all treatments.
According to Masabni, temperatures 50 degrees or better will keep the plants growing and so far the medium and high tunnels have accomplished that goal. He also noted that this kind of research could help give producers a head-start on their growing seasons and can be used with other fruits or vegetables. Masabni said that using the breathable row covers instead of plastic on the small tunnels, which are only about two feet above the ground, requires less management because it does not have to be removed during the warmer late winter and early spring days. He added that straw is commonly used on many matted-row strawberry beds in Kentucky.</p><p>
These are beds used for multiple years and planted directly into the soil. Straw is a good insulator but many times not enough is used, and by the end of the winter it has often been blown off the bed. The floating row cover is a better option.</p><p>
Courtney Flood, UK fruit and vegetable extension associate is working with Masabni on the project and said during the research, they also plan to use the site for field days, grower meetings and workshops to educate growers on the different options allowing them to see how easy it is to utilize some of these methods.
“Since we’ve put the tunnels up, we’ve had a lot of interest,” she said. “People were stopping by and asking us what we were doing, as we were setting up the tunnels.”</p><p>
Masabni said, “High tunnels are becoming popular in Kentucky with more and more small growers using them.”
According to the Center for Plasticulture at Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, “high tunnels are not conventional greenhouses, but like plastic-covered greenhouses, they are generally quonset-shaped (semicircular arching roof) constructed of metal bows that are attached to metal posts which have been driven into the ground about two feet deep. They are covered with one layer of 6-mil greenhouse-grade polyethylene, and are ventilated by manually rolling up the sides each morning and rolling them down in early evening.”</p><p>