Strawberry Cultivars for Annual Production Systems
Craig K. Chandler and Daniel E. Legard

There are a number of breeding programs around the world that are developing cultivars specifically for annual production systems.  All of these programs have a similar breeding goal: to develop cultivars that produce profitable quantities of high quality fruit.  Ideally these cultivars would produce fruit that are large (> 10 g, with an average fruit weight > 20 g), easy to harvest, consistently attractive (i.e. have a bright, pleasing color, smooth and glossy surface, symmetrical shape, and are free of splits and cracks), and have a firm, yet desirable, texture, and a delightful flavor.  The programs may differ somewhat, however, in their objectives concerning timing of production and disease and pest resistance.  Below is a brief description of the major breeding programs that are developing cultivars for annual systems.  Selected cultivars from these programs are also briefly described -- realizing that cultivars for annual systems tend to be short lived, compared to cultivars for perennial systems.  All cultivars listed are short-day flowering types, unless otherwise noted.

Public Programs

University of California (UC). The UC program is actively developing cultivars for the commercial strawberry industry in California.  Cultivars from this program have typically performed well in areas like coastal California where winters are relatively mild.  This includes the coastal plains of the southeastern U.S., Mexico, southern Spain, Italy, and France, north Africa, and subtropical areas in South America and Australia.  Cultivars developed for southern California (mild winter, warm summer) have the potential to produce high fruit yields during late winter, spring, and early summer, while cultivars developed for the central coast of California (cool winter, mild summer) have the potential to produce high fruit yields during the spring, summer, and fall.  All advanced selections in the UC program are currently being tested for tolerance to twospotted spider mites (Tetranychus urtricae), and resistance to crown and root rotting diseases caused by Verticillium albo-atrum and Colletotrichum acutatum.

Camarosa (introduced in 1993).  Originally billed as a replacement for Chandler in southern California, Camarosa has performed well throughout the state, and in other areas of the world where Chandler has been grown commercially.  Camarosa can be quite vigorous, and has high total season yield potential.  Its fruit is typically very large and firm, deep red, and flavorful when fully mature.  It is susceptible to anthracnose fruit rot (caused by Colletotrichum acutatum) and powdery mildew (caused by Sphaerotheca macularis).

Diamante (introduced in 1997) is a day-neutral cultivar.  It has replaced Selva as the predominant cultivar in the Watsonville/Salinas growing area of California.  It is superior to Selva in fresh fruit flavor, fruit size, tolerance to spider mites, and resistance to powdery mildew.  And its plant form tends to be more compact and erect than that of Selva. The internal color of Diamante fruit is lighter than that of other day-neutral cultivars.

Aromas (introduced in 1997) is a day-neutral cultivar that is particularly adapted to the conditions found near the central coast of California.  It typically produces high yields of firm, deep red fruit, and has a more erect plant habit, and greater resistance to powdery mildew, than Selva.

Gaviota (introduced in 1997) is considered an alternative to summer-planted Pajaro and fall-planted Camarosa and Chandler.  (It is not, however, adapted to the early fall digging/planting system used in Southern California.).  Gaviota has a smaller and more open plant habit than Camarosa and Chandler, and its fruit is more rain tolerant and has better eating quality than Camarosa.

Chandler (introduced in 1983).  Once the predominant cultivar in southern California, Chandler has now been largely replaced in this region by Camarosa.  It is still important in the southeastern U.S., however, because of its ability to produce high yields of attractive, exceptionally flavored fruit for local and pick-your-own sales.

Selva (1983), Seascape (1991), Pajaro (1979), Oso Grande (1987), and Parker (1983) are some UC cultivars that are being grown to a small extent in California or other annual production areas.

For up-to-date information on the UC strawberry breeding program and new cultivars from this program, see www.ucop.edu/ott/strawberry.

University of Florida (UF).  The UF program is actively developing cultivars for the commercial strawberry industry in west central Florida.  Cultivars from this program appear to be best adapted to subtropical winter production areas of the world, such as northern Argentina and Egypt.  The UF program emphasizes the development of cultivars with high fruit yields during the early season (November - February in the northern hemisphere or May - August in the southern hemisphere).  Resistance to certain fungal diseases is also a priority.  Seedlings are passively screened for resistance to Colletotrichum crown rot (caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides), and advanced selections are currently evaluated for resistance to anthracnose fruit rot and susceptibility to Botrytis fruit rot (caused by Botrytis cinerea).

Sweet Charlie (introduced in 1992) has generally produced higher December and February fruit yields than other cultivars grown in west central Florida.  It is resistant to anthracnose fruit rot.  And its fruit is often sweet and flavorful, due to a consistently low acid content. Despite these positive attributes, use of this cultivar in west central Florida is currently on the decline because of the short shelf life of its fruit during warm weather, compared to some newer cultivars.  Sweet Charlie, however, can still be useful in areas where earliness and flavor are valued and fruit will be consumed locally.

Earlibrite (introduced in 2000) has the ability, like Sweet Charlie, to produce relatively high early season yields in west central Florida. 
            Its  fruit is typically firmer and larger, although at times more misshapen, than fruit of Sweet Charlie.

Strawberry Festival (introduced in 2000) produces firm, deep red fruit with excellent flavor when grown in west central Florida.  The fruit is usually born on long pedicels, and is easy to harvest.  Strawberry Festival is susceptible to anthracnose fruit rot and Colletotrichum crown rot, so growers are advised to choose their transplant source carefully to avoid starting with infected plants.

North Carolina State University (NC State).  NC State has an active program to develop strawberry cultivars for the Carolinas and surrounding states.  This program is evaluating selections in annual hill and greenhouse culture.  Annual hill culture is used for spring fruit production, while greenhouse culture is used to supply specialty fruit during off-season periods.  Anthracnose fruit rot and Colletotrichum crown rot are of particular concern on the hot, humid coastal plain and Piedmont sections of the southeastern U.S, so the development of cultivars resistant to these diseases is a major objective of this program.

University of Maryland (UM). The UM program, named “Five Aces Breeding”, is currently a public/private partnership with Davon Crest Farms on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.  Davon Crest Farms is a nursery that produces certified virus-free strawberry plug plants.  The goal of this program is to become a totally private enterprise that specializes in developing and marketing annual hill strawberry cultivars for eastern U.S. conditions.  Selections from this program are currently evaluated at test sites from south Florida to near Lake Erie in New York.  A particularly exciting objective of the program is the transfer of F. moschata flavor into cultivated strawberry.  This work is being done in cooperation with Dr. Alan  Sullivan of the University of Guelph.

Italian national program.  This program includes three regional breeding programs: one for south Italy (Sicily, Campania, and Basilicata regions); one for the Po Valley; and one for the northern mountain area (Piemonte and Trentino regions).  Cultivars developed for south Italy produce fruit during the winter and early spring; those developed for the Po Valley produce fruit in the spring; and those for the northern mountain regions produce fruit during the summer.  Strawberries in south Italy are grown in walk-in tunnels to enhance winter production, whereas strawberries in the Po Valley and in the northern mountain area are grown in walk-in tunnels or the open field.  Breeding objectives include adaptation to alkaline soils (pH 7.5-8.2) and resistance to the following diseases: Phytophthora root rot (caused by Phytophthora cactorum), Verticillium root rot, powdery mildew, Botrytis fruit rot, and anthracnose fruit rot.

Addie (introduced in 1982) is well adapted to conditions in the Po Valley, and in this production area is an early to mid season cultivar.

Idea (introduced in 1991), like Addie, is adapted to the Po Valley production area.  It is considered a late season cultivar.  Plants of Idea are vigorous and have performed well on non-fumigated soils.  Its fruit are typically orange-red, large, and moderately firm.

CIREF (Interregional Center for Strawberry Research and Experimentation). The breeding program located at this center, which is near Bergerac, France, has as its goal to develop short-day and day-neutral cultivars that have the fruit appearance and flavor characteristics of Gariguette, but are less susceptible to Phytophthora cactorum and Colletotrichum acutatum than is Gariguette.  CIREF has introduced a number of short-day (Ciflorette, Ciloe, Cigaline, Cireine,Cigoulette, Cifrance) and day-neutral (Cijosée, Cirafine, Cirano, Cilady) cultivars since its breeding program began in 1988.

Spanish public program.  This program, which began in 1985, is a cooperative effort by scientists from three organizations: Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA), Centro de Investigatción y Formación Agraria (CIFA), and Universidad de Huelva.  The main goal of the program is to develop fresh market cultivars for the Huelva and Valencia growing areas.  High early season (January - March) production is an important breeding objective in the Huelva area.

The Volcani Center program in Israel.  This program has developed numerous cultivars that produce high early season (November - January) fruit yield in the warmer Mediterranean areas.  Plants of these cultivars have the ability to start producing ripe fruit in November (May in the southern hemisphere) even if they have not been grown in a high elevation or high latitude nursery (where they would typically be exposed to low temperature conditioning before digging).  The program introduced Malah, Yael, and Tamar in the late 1990's.

The Australian programs.  There are two distinct public strawberry breeding programs in Australia: one is part of the Victoria Department of Agriculture and is located near Melbourne;  the other is part of the Queensland Horticulture Institute (QHI) and is located near Brisbane.  Strawberries in Victoria are grown in a Mediterranean-type climate (wet winters, dry summers), and the objectives of the Victorian program are similar to the programs based in the central coast of California (Watsonville/Salinas area).  Cultivars that have the potential to produce high fruit yields during the spring, summer, and fall are desirable.  The main production area in Queensland has a subtropical climate (mild winters, hot, wet summers).  The Queensland program has developed cultivars with the potential for high late fall and winter production.  Also, because of rainy conditions during recent winters, the program has been able to select some genotypes that are quite resistant to cracking and checking.

Kabarla (introduced in 1995) from QHI lends itself to very early planting dates (mid March in the southern hemisphere; mid September in the northern hemisphere).  Consequently, it is able to produces very high early season yields.  Fruit of Kabarla have medium to high soluble solids and acidity levels, and are typically medium sized, firm, and rain resistant.

Redlands Joy (introduced in 1992) from QHI is very productive during the mid-season period (July - August in the southern hemisphere; January - February in the northern hemisphere).  The fruit of Redlands Joy is consistently well liked by consumers (probably because of its sweet flavor, which results from low acidity), but special care is required when harvesting and packing this fruit because it bruises easily.

Tochigi Prefectural Agricultural Experiment Station Program in Japan. This program is developing cultivars for protected (plastic tunnel) culture (which is used for fall, winter, and spring production).

Nyoho (introduced in 1984) has been a very popular cultivar in Japan.  Its fruit is attractive and sweet.

Tochinomine (introduced in 1992) is resistant to powdery mildew, and produces long conic fruit with a deep scarlet color and an excellent flavor.

Tochiotome (introduced in 1995) is high yielding, and produces fruit that is larger, firmer, and sweeter, than that of Nyoho.

Programs in Argentina and Uruguay. INTA (National Institute of Agricultural Technology) in Argentina, and INIA (National Agriculture Research Institute) in Uruguay both have initiated breeding programs to develop cultivars adapted to subtropical fall, winter, and spring conditions.  The breeding work in Argentina is being conducted at INTA’s research facility near Tucuman, while INIA’s program is based at the research center at Las Brujas.  The objectives of these programs are similar to those of the University of Florida program (described above).

Horticulture Research International (HRI), East Malling. This program has developed a series of cultivars for the UK that crop in succession over a five month period (late May to mid October in southern England) or a seven month period if plastic tunnels are used to extend the season on both ends.

Pegasus (introduced in 1990) is a mid season cultivar that has been consistently productive and is resistant to Verticillium wilt.

Eros (introduced in 1994) is a mid season cultivar similar to Elsanta, but it has slightly larger fruit, on average, than Elsanta.  Eros is resistant to several races of red stele root rot (caused by Phytophthora fragariae).

Tango (introduced in 1995) is a strong day-neutral cultivar.  Plants are compact, yet productive.  The fruiting period of Tango bridges the gap between late short-day cultivars and late day-neutral cultivars, such as Selva.

Bolero (introduced in 1996) is a day-neutral cultivar that is later cropping than Tango.  It combines excellent fruit quality with resistance to powdery mildew.

Center for Plant Breeding and Reproduction Research (CPRO-DLO), Wageningen, The Netherlands. This program has developed strawberry cultivars that are adapted to one or more of the production areas in the European temperate zone, which is roughly between 45 and 60° north latitude.  Selections are evaluated under both field and greenhouse conditions.

Gorella (introduced in 1960) produces large fruit and can be grown successfully from northern Italy to Denmark.

Elsanta (introduced in 1981) is the major cultivar throughout much of western Europe.  The firm flesh and strong skin of Elsanta fruit gives this cultivar greater harvest efficiency than other cultivars adapted to this region.

Private Programs

Driscoll Strawberry Associates, Inc (DSA). This company, whose headquarters is in Watsonville, California, develops proprietary cultivars for its growers in California, Florida, and other annual production areas around the world.  Cultivars recently patented by DSA include Alisal, Alta Vista, Baeza, Montalvo, Mirador, and Captiva.

Plant Sciences, Inc. (PSI).  Like Driscoll, PSI also has its headquarters in Watsonville, California.  PSI is a research and development company that has developed numerous proprietary cultivars.  These cultivars are only available to licensed growers.  More information on PSI can be obtained at their web site www.plantsciences.com

California Giant, Inc. is a Watsonville based grower-shipper.  This company has a breeding program that evaluates selections on non-fumigated soils.  Currently they have two cultivars, Cal Giant #2 and Cal Giant #3, that are being offered for sale through California Pacific Plant Exports, Inc. of Chico California (www.strawberry-plants.com).  Both of these cultivars reportedly perform as well on non-fumigated soil as they do on fumigated soil.

VPP Corporation has had an active breeding program in Watsonville, California until recently.  Two day-neutral cultivars developed by VPP, Colima and Whitney, are grown commercially in the Watsonville/Salinas area.

J & P Research, Inc. of Naples, Florida

Gem Star (introduced in 2000) is resistant to anthracnose, and has performed well in North Carolina.

Treasure (introduced in 2000) is well adapted to the west central Florida production area.  This cultivar is resistant to anthracnose, and its fruit has a deep red exterior color and is very resistant to abrasion.

Darbonne, S.A. nursery of Milly-la-Forêt France has developed and introduced a number of cultivars for open-field and protected culture production systems.

Darselect (introduced in 1995) is a mid season cultivar in the French production areas.  It produces fruit that is bright red, glossy, flavorful, and has relatively low susceptibility to Botrytis fruit rot.

Planasa nursery of Navarra, Spain develops cultivars primarily for the Huelva production area in southwestern Spain.

Milsei-Tudla (introduced prior to 1996) is an early yielding cultivar with long, conical fruit.  It is being grown commercially in southwestern Spain and southern Italy.

Tudnew (introduced in 1997) is an early yielding cultivar.  It is only moderately vigorous, and therefore requires a relatively close within row spacing.  Its fruit is very firm, but should not be allowed to stay on the plant too long because of a tendency to become dark.

For more information on Planasa’s cultivars, see www.planasa.com

CIV (Consorzio Italiano Vivaisti), whose headquarters is in Ferrara, Italy, has developed cultivars for the major production areas in both north and south Italy.

Marmolada (introduced prior to 1993) is flexible in terms of its ability to produce high quality fruit in various annual systems.  It is well adapted to the production areas of northern Italy, and also can be grown successfully in other temperate areas of Europe.

Tethis (introduced prior to 1997) produces very attractive, high quality fruit in the southern Italy production areas.

Eris (introduced prior to 1997) is early ripening in southern Italy.  It produces fruit that are light red, attractive, and very flavorful.