ARS | Publication request: Eating quality of old and new University of Florida strawberry cultivars

Submitted to: Florida State Horticultural Society Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: March 23, 2010
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: The University of Florida strawberry breeding program has developed cultivars highly adapted to west-central Florida since the 1970s. In this trial, four advanced selections and 11 released cultivars, from Florida Belle (1975) to Florida Radiance (2008), were grown in a randomized complete block design with 10-plant plots as the unit of replication. Fruit were harvested bi-weekly and evaluated once a month by a trained sensory panel, from January to March 2010. FL-05-107 had the highest ratings for positive attributes (firmness, sweetness and strawberry flavor) in January, followed by ‘Earlibrite’ and ‘Strawberry Festival’. In February, the highest ratings for positive attributes were given to FL-05-85, ‘Elyana’ and ‘Strawberry Festival’, and the highest preference score was given to FL-06-38, with a high strawberry flavor. The lowest preference scores were given to ‘Dover’ both in January and February, with the lowest rating for strawberry flavor both months, a high rating for “overripe/fermented” in January, and “sour” in February. ‘Winter Dawn’ also had the lowest preference score in January, associated with high ratings for “overripe/fermented” and “woody/musty”. A plot obtained from a principal components analysis showed ‘Carmine’ and ‘Rosa Linda’ having high astringency both months and confirmed descriptors for the above-mentioned varieties and selections.