In research during 1997-2000 at the All-Russian Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding in Orel province, Russia, the use of field crops sown between strawberry rows was investigated as a means of suppressing weed growth. Oats, barley, rape and mustard were sown between rows of strawberry cv. Red Gauntlet; the sowing date was manipulated so that the field crops would be cut down after strawberry harvest but before they could set seed. In terms of the number of plants of the major weed species present at the end of vegetative growth, there were 122 plants per linear m in the untreated control, but only 37 in the barley, 48 in the oats, 53 in the mustard and 60 in the rape treatments. The cereals were better at suppressing weeds because they were sown earlier than the crucifers. In terms of annual strawberry fruit yield, the average for the 4 years of the trial was 8.07 t/ha in the control but higher with the weed suppressing crops: 8.18, 8.49, 8.62 and 8.66 for the rape, mustard, oats and barley treatments, respectively.
