Research Brief: Maximizing Yield in Greenhouse Strawberries
July 9, 2025 
Photo: Michigan State University
Researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) recently studied the effects of temperature and lighting on greenhouse strawberries. Josh VanderWeide, Ph.D., assistant professor of berry crop horticulture, led the studies alongside Roberto Lopez, Ph.D., associate professor of CEA horticulture. Their primary goal was to find the optimal temperature and photoperiod (the amount of light plants receive in a day), for greenhouse strawberries to achieve maximum yield.
“Growing strawberries in greenhouses can be profitable,” Dr. VanderWeide says. “But there are a few things growers should know to optimize growing conditions to ensure they make a profit.”
In the first of two studies, researchers tested different growing temperatures on seven popular day-neutral strawberry cultivars (plants that produce fruit regardless of day length). They used a range of five temperature treatments spanning 15-27 degrees Celsius on the cultivars and found that each variety had a different temperature optimum.
“If a grower knows which parts of their greenhouse are generally warmer or cooler, it can be helpful for matching the right cultivar to the right space,” he says. “Strawberry growth is very temperature sensitive, so homing in on the right temperature can improve your yield dramatically.”
The second research project focused on the optimal amount of light that day-neutral strawberries should receive. Drs. VanderWeide and Lopez manipulated the day length for four popular day-neutral strawberry varieties. All four cultivars – Albion, San Andreas, Mara des Bois, and Seascape – produced larger strawberries with a longer photoperiod. “We found that closer to 16 hours is ideal for maximizing yield in fruit size for most day-neutral strawberry varieties,” they say.
They plan to continue their research in two projects that will focus on optimizing sensory quality and developing a bioeconomic model for greenhouse strawberries next fall.
This article is a part of CEAg World’s Industry Report: Greenhouse Produce. Download the full report here: https://stage.ceagworld.com/industry-reports/.