Progress in Strawberry Breeding at the University of Florida: An Historical Variety Trial

The strawberry breeding program of the University of Florida develops varieties that are highly adapted to west-central Florida, where approximately 8,500 acres of strawberries were grown during the 2009-10 season.  In order to gain insight into breeding progress over time, three advanced selections and nine released cultivars, from Florida Belle (1975) to Florida Radiance (2008), were compared for various yield and fruit quality traits.  Cultivars and selections were arranged in a randomized complete block design with 10-plant plots as the unit of replication at each of two locations (Balm, FL and Dover, FL).  The genotype × location interactions for variables of early (December and January) yield, early average fruit weight, and proportion of cull fruit were highly significant (P < 0.01).  Gains over time were most striking for important fruit traits such as size and uniformity.  Average fruit weight for ‘Radiance’ was 26.0 g and 21.5 g at Balm and Dover respectively, compared to 15.4 g and 14.7 g for ‘Dover’ (1979).  Cull fruit in December and January as a proportion of total fruit number for ‘Radiance’ was 0.08 and 0.20 at the Balm and Dover locations respectively, as opposed to 0.40 and 0.45 for ‘Dover’.  Other traits including soluble solids content, titrateable acidity, vitamin C content, and taste panel ratings were assessed and will be discussed.