Journal of Taiwan Agricultural Research

Author:Peiche Chung*、Qiaojuan Lai、Jenhao Yeh、Jenghsien Tsai、Yipei Li、Chehao Cheng、Hsiuying Lu

Abstract:

Strawberry is a highly valuable economic crop with a domestic cultivation area of approximately 586 ha, primarily concentrated in Miaoli County. During the strawberry production season, a large number of tourists are attracted, which drives the development of the surrounding industries. Over the past decade, the strawberry industry has faced increasing challenges, including threats from diseases and pests, varietal transitions, and climate change, making cultivation progressively more difficult. Based on the principle of integrated pest management (IPM), which emphasizes prevention over treatment, our research team has implemented the following research and extension strategies tailored to different cultivation stages: (1) Establish a strawberry healthy runner plant supply chain by developing diagnostic techniques for key pathogens and integrating these into the voluntary pathogen-free certification system for strawberry propagation, while guiding the industry toward specialized nursery production and propagation; (2) Develope a screening platform to assess the resistance and susceptibility of domestic strawberry germplasm to manage major diseases, by integrating molecular marker-assisted breeding and high-throughput phenotyping technologies to reduce the reliance on extensive field selection and accelerate the breeding process; (3) Adapt nursery propagation and fruit production management strategies to mitigate the impact of high temperatures on strawberry production due to climate change; (4) Provide technical guidance to farmers on pre-planting soil disinfestation, optimizing base fertilizer according to soil analysis data, and implementing rationalized liquid fertilizer application after transplanting; (5) Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to develop machine learning and deep learning algorithms for the automated identification of strawberry diseases and pests while integrating an expert decision support system  to enable real-time and accurate diagnosis and management recommendations for farmers. Through the promotion of IPM strategies, strawberry yield and quality will be gradually improved, increasing farmer profitability and creating an environmentally friendly approach while meeting consumer market demand.

Key words:Healthy runner plants, Disease-resistant breeding, Climate change, Soil disinfestation, Deep learning

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