Low-temperature Injury to Strawberry Floral Organs at Several Stages of Development
in HortScienceInflorescences of `Earliglow' and `Honeoye' strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa Duch.) plants were subjected to controlled freezing tests to determine the cold tolerance of styles, anthers, and receptacles of individual flowers at various stages of development. Flowers of both cultivars tended to deacclimate as the stages of development progressed. Styles and receptacles generally exhibited injury at higher temperatures than anthers. The greatest deacclimation of styles and receptacles of primary flowers occurred at earlier developmental stages of `Honeoye' than of `Earliglow'. However, at the sixth stage of development, the critical temperature for receptacle injury in primary and secondary fruit was -3C for both cultivars.
