Current status of strawberry industry in China

Strawberry production in China has rapidly increased since the 1980s. At present, strawberry has become an important economic fruit crop in China. The strawberry annual yield of China has ranked first in the world since 1994 according to FAO data. In 2017, the annual yield was 3.72 million t, and the cultivation area was 133,685 ha. The current status of strawberry production in China was introduced, focusing on the cultivation area, yield, regions, main cultivation forms and cultivars, and main cultivation techniques. Various cultivation forms were one of the main characteristics of strawberry cultivation in China, and solar greenhouse was also a unique cultivation form in the world. The problems and challenges of strawberry production are also discussed in this paper. Nowadays, the main jobs were to improve cultivation techniques and management level to enhance the fruit quality, and to take effective measures to strengthen disease control and overcome continuous cropping obstacles. At the same time, labor-saving measures and pick-your-own cultivation should be further developed. The Chinese wild strawberry resources were the most abundant in the world. To make full use of the rich and unique wild strawberry resources native to China to breed new cultivars will provide strong support for the improvement of new strawberry cultivars.