Italy: Strawberry genotype similar to Sabrosa and Florida Fortuna

Fragaria × ananassa Duch. is one of the strawberry crops, part of the Rosaceae family, that is most important on a global level, producing over 7.8 million tons. The main producers are China, US, Mexico, Turkey and Europe. Spain is the main European producer, followed by Poland and Italy.

In southern Italy and Sicily, strawberry cultivation is dominated by the 'Sabrosa', 'Florida Fortuna', 'Sabrina' and 'Sant Andreas' cultivars. Varietal improvement activities in the Mediterranean have the objective of selecting new genotypes characterised by early ripening, fruits suitable for fresh consumption and a good shelf-life.

Researchers from the University of Palermo and Università Cattolica di Piacenza compared the field performance of two experimental lines (PA1 and PA2) with that of the 4 main commercial cultivars. They also compared the nutraceutical and chemical-physical characteristics at different post-harvesting temperatures. Finally, they carried out a supporting genetic analysis with SSR markers to establish any correlations with the genotype.

"Our study confirmed that 'Florida Fortuna' is an excellent early and very productive cultivar and that 'Candonga Sabrosa' has an excellent soluble solid content and compactness. Nevertheless, the two new 'PA1' and 'PA2' lines provided excellent results. In particular, line 'PA2' could be very interesting for Mediterranean producers interested in early production with good yields and quality."

This study also showed that post-harvesting storage for 36 hours at 4°C has a positive effect on the chemical-physical properties of strawberries, while the general quality decreases at 20°C. The genetic characteristics show that the 'PA2' line is strongly connected to 'Candonga Sabrosa' and 'Florida Fortuna'.

Source: Leo Sabatino, Claudio De Pasquale, Farid Aboud, Federico Martinelli, Matteo Busconi, Eleonora D'Anna, Stefano Panno, Giovanni Iapichino, Fabio D'Anna, 'Properties of New Strawberry Lines Compared with Well-Known Cultivars in Winter Planting System Conditions', 2017, Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, Vol. 45(1), DOI:10.15835/nbha45110477.

Contacts:
Leo Sabatino
Università degli Studi di Palermo
Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Forestali
Viale delle Scienze, 90128, Palermo, Italy
Email: [email protected]