This week, the question was: What is going on with these strawberries?
These strawberries are exhibiting a condition known as “phyllody” where floral parts become leafy. Though it usually affects only a small amount of berries, we see phyllody in our fields pretty much every year. Phyllody can be infectious (caused by a phytoplasm vectored by leafhoppers) or non-infectious (caused by over-chilling of transplants). The use of certain herbicides have also been linked to this condition. For more information, click here.
The South Carolina Grower 