Thermotolerance of photosynthesis and productivity in `Chandler' and `Sweet Charlie' strawberry plants (Fragaria ×ananassa Duch.) exposed to three temperature regimes was studied. Net CO2 assimilation rate (A), variable chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv), efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm), relative chlorophyll content, plant growth, and fruit yield and quality were measured. High temperature (40 °C day/35 °C night) was more detrimental to photosynthesis and productivity than the moderate or low temperature (30/25 or 20/15 °C). Net CO2 assimilation rate in both cultivars was markedly reduced by 40/35 °C, although there was slight decline in `Sweet Charlie' at 30/25 °C. `Chandler' maintained significantly higher A rates than `Sweet Charlie' for at least three weeks of heat stress, indicating that `Chandler' might tolerate longer exposure to high temperature. In parallel to the decrease in A rate, intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) and instantaneous water use efficiency (WUE) were significantly decreased at high temperature. `Chandler' leaves were cooler and transpired more than `Sweet Charlie' leaves, suggesting that each cultivar adopted different heat resistance mechanisms at 40/35 °C. There were changes in Fv and Fv/Fm with increasing temperature, indicating irreversible damage to photosystem II at 40/35 °C might have occurred. The trend of reduction in stomatal conductance (g S) in both cultivars at high temperature did not coincide with the reduction in A rates. Decline in A rates at high temperature was more related to changes in Fv/Fm than to g S activity. The optimal temperature for vegetative growth was 30/25 °C. Reduction in A rate at high temperature resulted in reduction in total leaf area (LA), shoot, root, and leaf biomasses. Strawberry roots were more responsive than shoot growth to temperatures above 20/15 °C. Fruit yield for `Chandler' was higher at 20/15 °C than at 30/25 °C, suggesting that `Chandler' might have a higher source-to-sink relationship at 20/15 °C than at 30/25 °C. Fruit skin color was temperature dependent only for `Chandler'. A quadratic relationship between flower development and duration of exposure to 30/25 °C for both cultivars was observed; more than two weeks of 30/25 °C can be detrimental to flower development. Regardless of the cultivar and duration of exposure, 40/35 °C was the temperature regime most detrimental to fruit set.
× ananassa Duch. var. ‘Toyonoka’) plantlets at the four-leaf stage were transplanted into the containers using urethane blocks (foam) as support. The same bioassay was carried out with the nutrient solution used for strawberry culture as described
The main cultivation method of strawberry ( Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) in Japan is forcing culture using June-bearing cultivars with flower initiation that is transplanted at the end of September and kept warm from mid October to develop flowers
Fall-planted cover crops killed in spring is practiced in strawberry cultivation in different regions of the North America. These systems have shown significant weed suppression and conservation of soil without significant yield reduction in strawberry. During the establishment season, this study was initiated to assess weed suppression with cover crops (`Wheeler' rye and `Micah' and `Steptoe' barley) along with perlite, an artificial plant medium. Strawberry (`Selva' and `Totem') plant growth and weed biomass were measured during 1995-96 season. Small-seeded summer annual weeds were suppressed in cover crop treatments compared to control treatment. `Micah' barley in growth phase suppressed more than 81% of the total weed biomass compared to control plots with no cover crop in early spring. However, in early summer, cover crop residues failed to suppress different types of weeds 60 days after killing of cereal with herbicide (2% glyphosate). Distinct differences in strawberry plant growth were evident between the cover crop treatments and non-cover crop treatments including `Micah' applied on surface. Strawberry growth was doubled during 10 July to 15 Aug. in both cultivars. `Micah' barley applied on surface produced better growth in both strawberry varieties than the growth in other treatments. `Micah' barley applied on soil surface produced 50% more strawberry shoot biomass may indicate the root competition between cover crops and strawberry.
Two experiments were designed to study components of resistance to Colletotrichum acutatum on runners of three strawberry cultivars: incubation period, latent period, length of the lesion and spore production, and infection frequency with three levels of inoculum density (104, 105, 106 spores/cc) were considered. Rate of disease development was also determined. There were significant differences in all the components among the resistant and susceptible cultivars. Both 'Chandler' and 'Sweet Charlie' expressed susceptible reactions. The length of the lesion, number of spores/cm of the lesion, incubation period, latent period, and rate of anthracnose development were statistically similar in 'Chandler' and 'Sweet Charlie'. The only significant difference among them was found in infection frequency. 'Chandler' had a greater number of infection sites with all three concentrations of spores included. The cultivar Pelican showed a high level of partial resistance associated with longer incubation and latent periods, lower number of spores/cm of lesion, shorter lesion, smaller number of infection sites, and lower rate of disease development.
Leaves of three strawberry cultivars (Bounty', `Honeoye', and `Kent') were collected at random from plants growing in an experimental trial at the Agriculture Canada, Research Station farm at Lavaltrie, Quebec. Steam-distillation was carried out on 300g of leaves in 3L of distilled water in a 5L flask. The essential oils were analyscd with a Varian 6000 gas chromatogmph. Thirty-seven compounds were detected of which sixteen were identified. The major components were linalool and nonanal. Many of the other constituents were aliphatic in nature. Differences in oil composition among the three cultivars were observed. Essential oil composition might therefore be used as a selection criteria for insect or disease resistance. Their effect upon mites will be assayed in future studies by testing them as sex, food, or oviposition lures.
Abstract
Seven seedling populations of strawberry were analyzed for ascorbic acid content and color intensity. The amount and type of variation found showed both characters to be controlled by quantitative genes. It is postulated that 2 genetic systems control the inheritance of ascorbic acid and that the 2 systems can interact with each other. Partial dominance was exhibited for high color intensity. Heritability estimates of 41% for ascorbic acid and 81% for color intensity were obtained. Flesh color and ascorbic acid content were not correlated characters.
Selfed progenies were generated using 10 day-neutral genotypes from the University of California (UC) strawberry breeding program as parents and their offspring were classified for late-summer flowering response. The grandparents of each selfed progeny included one of four day-neutral genotypes and one of eight short-day genotypes. Under the null hypothesis of genetic control by a single locus with the allele for day-neutrality dominant to the allele for short-day flowering response, all of these day-neutral parent genotypes must be heterozygous and their selfed offspring were expected to fit a 3:1 ratio of day-neutral: short-day phenotypes. The percentage of day-neutral offspring observed over all progenies was 70.9%, and was significantly smaller than the expected value of 75% (χ2 1 = 5.08, P < 0.02). The percentage of day-neutral offspring for individual progenies ranged from 41.4% to 84.8%, and highly significant heterogeneity was detected among progenies (χ2 9 = 40.3, P < 0.01). Selfed progeny means for the cumulative late-summer flowering score calculated using the day-neutral fraction of offspring varied from 1.31 to 2.35 and progeny means for the number of inflorescences per plant ranged from 3.5 to 9.9; these differences among progenies were highly significant (P < 0.01). These observations can be used to conclusively reject the hypothesis that day-neutrality in this domestic strawberry population is controlled by a single locus.
The genetic opportunity for selection of early fruiting strawberry cultivars was evaluated using seedling populations from the Univ. of California (UC) breeding program in three years. Narrow-sense heritabilities for early season yield and for the proportion of an individual's total yield expressed early were moderate (h2 = 0.24-0.53) and broad-sense heritabilities were slightly larger (H2 = 0.31-0.70), suggesting the presence of some nonadditive genetic variance for these traits. These two traits were genetically correlated with each other (rg = 0.78-0.98), but only early yield was consistently genetically correlated with seasonal yield (rg = 0.52-0.82). Selection was performed for each trait using an index on full-sib family means and individual phenotypic values in two of the three years, and predicted response was compared with that obtained using vegetatively propagated runner plants from selected genotypes in the subsequent fruiting season. Statistically significant (P < 0.05) selection response was obtained in one of two years for each trait, and combined analysis demonstrated highly significant (P < 0.01) response for both traits. However, realized response over all traits and years was just 27.3% of that predicted based on the estimated heritabilities and applied selection intensities. These results suggest that selection for early yield should be based at least in part on runner plant evaluations rather than exclusively on seedling performance.
Eighteen strawberry genotypes from the University of California's breeding population were evaluated over two years for yield and fruit size with complete, partial, and no control of natural infestation by Tetranychus urticae Koch. The numbers of mites per leaf accumulated for the entire season or counted at peak infestation, and the number of mite-days accumulated for the season for partial control treatments were 31.7% to 44.0% of corresponding values realized for uncontrolled infestation, and values differed significantly between treatments for all three variables. Yields for the no-control and partial-control treatments averaged 81.6% and 85.0% of the yields obtained with complete spidermite suppression for the 2 trial years; fruit sizes were 95.1% and 92.0% for corresponding comparisons. Yield and fruit size differed significantly between the complete-control treatment and any level of infestation, but statistically significant differences between partial and complete mite control treatments were detected only for fruit size in a single year. Analysis of variance demonstrated significant or highly significant variation due to control level, genotype, and their interactions for both yield and fruit size, but resolution of variance components demonstrated that genetic × treatment interactions explained just 0% to 8% of the phenotypic variance for yield and fruit size in a 2-year evaluation. Genotypic variances, those reflecting genetic effects that were stable across treatments, were at least 9.3 times as large as interaction variances for these traits. There appears to be no evidence for partial resistance that might be expressed at intermediate levels of spidermite infestation.