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On standard two-row black polyethylene covered beds, `Camarosa', `Rosa Linda', and `Sweet Charlie' strawberry plants were grown at 23, 31, 38, or 46 cm within-row spacing during the 1997–98 and 1998–99 seasons at Dover, Fla. Ripe fruit were harvested twice weekly from December through March. The first 8 weeks of harvest was considered the early period; the late period consisted of all harvests after the first 8 weeks. The effect of spacing on early marketable yield was consistent across seasons and cultivars. The 23-cm spacing resulted in the highest marketable yield per unit area, followed by the 31-, 38-, and 46-cm spacing. The percentage of fruit that were small (unmarketable) was higher at the 23-cm spacing than at the wider spacings (40% vs. 35% or 36%), but spacing did not affect the percentage of fruit that were misshapen. For the late harvest period, a spacing effect on marketable yield occurred in 1998–99, but not in 1997–98. The 23-, 31-, and 38-cm spacings in 1998–99 resulted in similar late period yields, which were 15% to 21% higher than the yield resulting from the 46-cm spacing. These results indicate that marketable yields per plant during the late period were higher at the wider spacings.
Strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa Duch.) fruit are very susceptible to mechanical injury and for this reason are normally field-packed. Fruit of three cultivars (Chandler, Oso Grande, Sweet Charlie) were subjected to forced-air or hydrocooling to reach pulp temperatures between 1 and 30 °C and then individually subjected to compression and impact forces representative of commercial handling operations. Strawberries with a pulp temperature of 24 °C exhibited sensitivity to compression but greater resistance to impacts. As pulp temperature decreased, fruit were less susceptible to compression as shown by up to 60% reduction in bruise volume. In contrast, strawberries at 1 °C pulp temperature had more severe impact bruising with up to 93% larger bruise volume than at 24 °C depending on the cultivar. Strawberries also showed different impact bruise susceptibility depending on the cooling method. Impacted fruit that were forced-air cooled had larger bruise volumes than those that were hydrocooled. The impact bruise volume for strawberries forced-air cooled to 1 °C was 29% larger than for fruit hydrocooled to 20 °C, 84% higher than those forced-air cooled to 20 °C, and 164% higher than those hydrocooled to 1 °C. Because incidence and severity of impact and compression bruises are temperature-dependent, strawberry growers should consider pulp temperature for harvest scheduling and for potential grading on a packing line. Hydrocooling shows promise to rapidly cool strawberry fruit while reducing weight loss and bruising sensitivity.
‘Rubygem’, a new short-day strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa Duch.), produces high yields of moderately firm, attractive well-flavored fruit from late autumn through early spring in the strawberry-growing district in Southeast Queensland. ‘Rubygem’ is recommended for trial in areas with mild winter climates, especially where rainfall is unlikely and a well-flavored berry is required.
The University of Florida strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa Duch. ex Rosier) breeding program has maintained a continuous breeding effort since 1968 to develop cultivars that are highly adapted to winter production in west-central Florida. To gain insight into breeding progress over time, two advanced selections (UF1 and UF2) and 10 released cultivars, from Florida Belle (1975) to Florida Radiance (2008), were compared for various fruit quality traits in a two-location field study during the 2009–2010 season. Fruit size varied dramatically from 30.8 g for ‘Elyana’ to 16.2 g for ‘Dover’ at Balm, FL, and from 28.3 g for UF2 to 16.6 g for ‘Dover’ at Dover, FL. A linear regression of fruit size on year of release revealed an average gain of 2.6 g per year since 1975 for the cultivars and selections tested (R 2 = 0.44). A similar analysis revealed a reduction over time in the proportion of cull fruit (R 2 = 0.30). Gains were apparent for the redness of the internal flesh, from a colorimeter a* value of 16.1 for ‘Florida Belle’ (1975) to 34.7 for ‘Carmine’ (2002) but were not sustained for later releases and selections. Although there were significant differences among genotypes for all chemical traits affecting flavor, there were no discernable patterns over time. There were wide month-to-month variations in individual sugars and organic acids, except for citric acid, which was stable across months and locations. The ratio of soluble solids content to titratable acidity ranged widely among genotypes, from a high of 15.7 for ‘Florida Belle’ in February at Dover, FL, to a low of 6.4 for ‘Winter Dawn’ in January at Balm, FL. The observed variability and trends in fruit quality traits will help guide future genetic studies and inform decisions about future breeding priorities and selection procedures.
The objective of this study was to compare plant health and growth in Florida fruiting fields of `Sweet Charlie' plants from 10 different plant sources. Bare-root plants from Ontario, Nova Scotia, Massachusetts, Oregon, North Carolina, Alabama, and Florida and plug plants from North Carolina and Florida were compared in a RCBD of four replicates. Plants were rated for vigor, production, diseases, and pests throughout the 1995-96 season. Crown size of transplants ranged from 7 to 12 mm. Plants from northern sources exhibited angular leaf spot (Xanthomonas fragariae) and gnomonia (Gnomonia spp.) while southern-raised plants were infected with phomopsis (Phomopsis obscurans) and anthracnose (Colletoctrichum spp.). Initial ratings confirm the potential for aphids and two-spotted spider mites (Tetranychus urticae) to be introduced on transplants. Plants from northern origins flowered 10-14 days earlier than plants produced in southern regions. Total season marketable fruit production was not statistically different among the eight bare-root treatments. Monthly fruit production was significantly different among treatments for all months except February. Performance of plug plants compared to bare-root plants of the same geographic origin were inconsistent. Initial crown size, average berry size, and cull fruit production were significantly different among the plant sources. In summary, clear differences in foliar diseases and monthly fruit production were strongly associated with transplant source. A strawberry farmer may maintain more stable production throughout the year by using transplants from several geographic origins.