Get to know Dalat strawberry and Chinese strawberry

The shape of Da Lat strawberry is uneven, the fruit is not too big and soft. Chinese berries are very uniform, with hard, smooth, dark red fruits.

>>>Harvesting strawberry technology all year round

Engineer Lai The Hung, Director of the Plant Protection Department of Lam Dong province, said that Da Lat is currently in the strawberry season, so Chinese strawberries are temporarily suspended. However, before that, Chinese strawberries had a lot of presence in Da Lat, and they were labeled Da Lat strawberry then sent to other provinces and sold at very low prices. The quality between these two types of strawberries is very isolated, but few consumers are aware of it."This is a form of deception of origin and brand theft," Hung said.

At the end of 2013, Lam Dong Department of Plant Protection took a sample of Chinese strawberries and Da My Da Lat's strawberries to compare, the results show that there are very clear differences between the two types. This is also the basis for consumers to recognize and identify the characteristics of Chinese strawberries and Dalat strawberries.

Compare the shape of Dalat strawberry with Chinese berries.(Photo: Lam Dong Plant Protection Department)

In addition, consumers also recognize that Chinese strawberries can be stored from 7 to 10 days in a temperature of 25-32 degrees Celsius without wilting or rot, while Dalat strawberry is only for up to 2 days.

The technical staff of the Plant Protection Department said that the Chinese berries could be left for a long time probably due to the use of preservatives. Differences between Dalat and Chinese berries depend on the same factors. So far, professional agencies have not sampled Chinese strawberries for toxic analysis and pesticide residues. Particularly, Da Lat strawberry through 5% of samples collected from the garden has not been really safe in terms of food quality, but absolutely no use of post-harvest preservation chemicals.

Compare the shape when adding a couple of Dalat strawberries (New Zealand, French and American varieties) and China.(Photo: Lam Dong Plant Protection Department)

Strawberry plants are native to the Americas. Through the research and breeding of European scientists, this fruit crop was introduced in Europe in the second half of the 18th century. The growth characteristics of strawberry are suitable for temperate climates. . Strawberry fruit is red, soft fruit, sweet and sour taste, characteristic aroma should be very popular.

In the 40s of the 20th century, the French brought strawberries to Dalat. The climate and soil in this plateau city gives the quality and flavor of strawberry fruit very special. However, the area of ​​planting is limited, so the output of strawberries in Da Lat cannot meet the domestic market in the negative months (rainy season).

Since cultivating in Da Lat, this fruit tree is considered a high-end specialty of the land of thousands of pine trees. Previously, the planted area was small, so strawberries were only available in high-class restaurants, mainly serving the upper class. With over 60 years of presence in Dalat, strawberry varieties are also changed for aging and adapt to the development environment. Currently to meet the market demand, some areas of Dalat's strawberries are redirected to cultivate by organic methods, high-tech processes.

Currently, Dalat has 117 hectares of strawberry growing land, of which 13 hectares are cultivated in high-tech greenhouses. Greenhouse strawberries are cultivated by organic methods, using drip or semi-hydroponic irrigation technology and focusing on some new and high-quality varieties such as Japanese and Newzealand varieties. The prices of these types of strawberries are about five times higher than those of the American strawberry, which most growers cultivate.

Dalat strawberry: uneven fruit, moderate fruit, not too big. Soft, not smooth. Red uneven, dark in body, slightly stalked. Dalat Strawberry is short, covered with a part on the strawberry, light green, a characteristic aroma, when eaten soft, has a sour taste.

Chinese strawberries: High uniformity, large fruits, hard and smooth fruits. Dark red is very beautiful. The long fruit of Chinese strawberries has a darker red color, no white interwoven. Chinese strawberries There is no fragrance, when eating it feels friable, not sour.