The Evaluation and Release of New Strawberry Selections for the Eastern Region of the United States

The primary goal of the Rutgers/ New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station strawberry breeding program is to develop new strawberry varieties with outstanding flavor which are better adapted to the climate and growing conditions of the Eastern region of the United States. During the past seven years, New Jersey growers, Rutgers researchers and Extension faculty have collaborated on evaluating the most promising strawberry selections from the program.  These advanced strawberry selections have undergone field trials to evaluate their performance under various farm-management systems. Currently, with funding from the Walmart Foundation and administered by the University of Arkansas System; Division of Agriculture, Center for Agricultural and Rural Sustainability, this research has been expanded to include trials on ten New Jersey farms, two research stations in New Jersey and in three other states.  Progress on this project includes patent applications for three selections, negotiations to license at least one selection to a commercial nursery and the continued evaluation of four additional selections. Data collected from the trials includes flavor, plant vigor, fruit yield, fruit size, brix, and fruit firmness. Current data indicates that two of the new selections, designated NJAES A and B, have average berry weights statistically similar to or greater than the commercial cultivar ‘Chandler’. The fruit yield of one of the new selections, NJAES A, is also statistically similar to the commercial cultivar ‘Chandler’. This work has created growing interest in the new selections and an indication of the potential marketability of these new selections within the region.