Breeding for Sustainable Strawberries: Evaluating the Environmental Impact of Different Cultivation Systems Across Europe

Abstract

This study was conducted to quantify the variation in environmental impacts of strawberry production across Europe to inform breeders and fruit producers on practical ways to improve the sustainability of their products. We assessed the environmental impact of different strawberry genotypes and cultivation systems, including open field and protected systems, conducted by seven different partners in Europe. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was applied. Fifty-seven strawberry genotypes were included in the analysis, covering 19 different field trials. The functional unit (FU) was 1 kg of freshly harvested ripe strawberry fruit at the farm gate, produced between 2017 and 2024. The results for the climate change impact category showed an average of 0.58 kg CO2 eq./FU among all the genotypes analyzed. The highest value was 3.8 kg CO2 eq./FU for a greenhouse system, and the lowest was 0.21 kg CO2 eq./FU for a polyethylene-covered tunnel system. The results highlighted the crucial roles of cultivation systems, genotype selection, produced yield, and various input and management practices in the environmental performance of strawberry production. The work was based on trials connected to the breeding and testing of strawberry genotypes. The results thus help breeders to develop high-quality strawberry cultivars designed to meet sustainable production under different climatic environments by showing the critical environmental impacts associated with their products. The comparison of the environmental performance of different strawberry cultivation systems across Europe even provides a benchmark to support fruit producers and policymakers in decision-making for shaping sustainable strawberry production in Europe.