|
Day Neutral
Day-neutral strawberries will continue to set and ripen fruit all summer long until a hard frost puts them into dormancy. Day-neutral refers to the light sensitivity of the variety. Day-neutral strawberries will blossom and set fruit no matter how long or short the days are. Today there are several excellent varieties of day-neutral strawberries and they are a wonderful choice for the gardener who wants a steady supply of fruit instead of having it all ripen at the same time.
|
 |
Short Day "June Bearing"
Short day or “June Bearing” strawberries produce a single, large crop per year during a 2 - 3 week period in the spring. June bearers are the traditionally grown plants, producing a single flush of flowers and many runners. They are classified into early, mid-season and late varieties. The largest fruits are generally from June bearing varieties.
|
 |
|
|
 |
ALBION - U.C.
The new gold standard of the industry in terms of flavor, Albion is a Day-neutral (ever-bearing) cultivar. It was bred to replace “Diamante” in the market and has done so and more. Fruiting plants of “Albion” are similar in size and vigor to “Diamante”, but more open and more erect than plants of “Diamante”. “Albion” is quite resistant to Verticillium wilt (Verticillium dahliae) and Phytophthora crown rot (Phytophthora cactorum), and relatively resistant to Anthracnose crown rot (Colletotrichum acutatum). When treated properly, it has tolerance to two-spotted spidermites (Tetranychus urticae). Fruit from “Albion” is typically long, conical, and very symmetrical. Fruit for “Albion” is firm. External and internal fruit color for “Albion” is dark. Southern California fruit growers are experimenting with early dug Albion as an alternative to Camarosa, Ventana, and Palomar. Albion fruits consistently throughout the season. One downside is that Albion produces many runners that must be cut to maintain high production.
|
|
|
|
|
AROMAS - U.C.
Aromas is a highly productive plant. It initiates production somewhat later than the others and produces large quantities of fall fruit. It also has the broadest environmental tolerance, is resistant to mildew, and is especially tolerant to spider mites. The plant architecture facilitates harvest and pest control (rather erect habit). Flavor is very good. Fruit size and cull rate is superior to the old standard, Selva.
|
|
|
|
|
DIAMANTE - U.C.
Diamante produces very high quality fruit with a very low cull rate. Diamante produces consistently and is easy to harvest. It is tolerant to spider mites and mildew, but not Phythothora crown rot. It tends to runner somewhat during fruiting and the internal fruit color is probably too light for the processing industry.
|
|
|
|
|
JEWEL
Jewel appears to be one of the best all-around varieties. Good for u-pick, fresh shipping and longer season yields. It produces large, firm, wedge-shaped fruit of beautiful color and quality. Jewel’s firmness and abrasive resistant skin make it ideal for shipping.
|
|
|
|
|
Keoki
Similar to Wild Strawberry varieties but not from seed, giving it substantial advantage in production. Perfect for the specialty garden grower. Produces tiny white berries packed with LOTS of FLAVOR! Bird netting is Important-they are that TASTY! Excellent runner producer for great ground cover. Tolerates acidic soil, minimal care except weed maintenance and should use mulch in areas where ground freezes. Everbearing, Best in Zones 3-9.
|
|
|
|
|
MONTEREY - U.C.
Monterey is moderate in day-neutrality, slightly stronger flowering than Albion with a similar production pattern. It has a vigorous plant and may require slightly more space than Albion. the fruit from Monterey is slightly larger but less firm than for Albion. Post harvest traits for Monterey are similar to those for Albion. Monterey has outstanding flavor with a distinct sweet aftertaste that is unique among California cultivars. Monterey has a good disease resistant profile, although it is susceptible to powdery mildew (Sphaerotheca macularis); this disease will require close control by both nursey and fruit growers in order to farm this cultivar successfully. Nursery productivity for Montery is exceptional.
|
|
|
|
|
PORTOLA - U.C.
Portola is a strong day-neutral cultivar with broad adaptability. this cultivar can be used in standard winter planting systems, where it is slightly earlier than Albion to initiate fruiting. Due to a strong flowering response Portola is especially well adapted to spring and summer planting systems. Portola has a vigorous plant and may require slightly lower plant density than Albion. The fruit for Portola is similar in size to Albion but lighter in color and somewhat shinier. Post harvest characteristics for Portola are similar to those for Albion although it is slightly less tolerant to rain. Fruit flavor for Portola is excellent and especially consistent throughout the fruiting season. Portola has a good disease resistance profile.
|
|
|
|
|
SAN ANDREAS - U.C.
San Andreas is a moderate day-neutral with a production pattern very similar to Albion. Plant vigor for San Andreas is somewhat higher than for Albion early in the season but plant size throughout the fruiting season is similar to Albion due to its high and consistent prductivity. This cultivar produces few runners in the fruiting field. The fruit for San Andreas is exceptional in appearance and especially superior to Albion early in the season. The fruit color for San Andreas is slightly lighter than for Albion, and it has similar post harvest characteristics. The flavor of San Andreas is outstanding, very similar to that of Albion. San Andreas has a good disease resistance profile with no outstanding cautions. Its typically high quality fruit early in the season, together with a low chilling requirement, make this a good candidate cultivar for Southern California. Nursery productivity for San Andreas is similar to or slightly below that for Albion.
|
|
|
|
|
SEASCAPE - U.C.
Seascape is a dependable standard in the strawberry industry. It was bred for tolerance to many of the common viral diseases in California, but has demonstrated susceptibility to common leaf spot. Seascape fruit is large and flavorful with an attractive glossy finish. Seascape also has flexibility in planting requirements. Seascape is a popular variety on the east coast giving good production, superior even to Albion.
|
|
|
|
|
Developed by the U.C. breeding program this everbearing variety was the most commonly grown variety in California. Selva works well in both winter and frigo plantings. Fresh plants work best when given supplemental cold storage. Selva fruit is very firm but with poor flavor.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Short Day "June Bearing" Varieties
|
|
1B6 - Patent Pending
1B6 is the first variety developed by Jim Bagdasarian while at Lassen Canyon Nursery. 1B6 is an early, heavy producing, short day cultivar. The fruit is large, dark red in color inside and out, and uniformly conic throughout its production cycles. The fruit is very sweet and aromatic. The fruit is firm but not crunchy. It is heat tolerant and tolerant to rain. 1B6 does downsize late in the season and has a high nitrogen requirement.
|
|
|
|
CAMAROSA U.C. Release 1992
Camarosa is an early short day variety. This vigorous plant produces large to very large firm fruit throughout most of its fruiting cycle. Interior color of Camarosa is a brilliant red and fruit colors uniformly. Yield potential is high to excellent in U.C. performance test.
|
|
|
|
|
CAMINO REAL U.C.
Camino Real is a short-day cultivar similar to Camarosa and Gaviota. Camino Real plants are more compact but less erect than Gaviota plants. The production pattern for Camino Real is similar to that for Camarosa, although it is somewhat later to initiate fruiting with most cultural treatments. External and internal fruit color for ‘Camino Real’ is darker than Camarosa and slightly darker than Gaviota. Subjectively, Camino Real has very good flavor. The fruit is outstanding for both fresh market and processing.
|
|
|
|
|
CHANDLER U.C.
The old standard for the Southern California winter production and canning industry, Chandler continues to be the "go to" variety for roadside strawberry stands and backyard gardeners as well as many commercial growers in the southeast. Chandler produces semi-early deliciously sweet fruit. Fruit size is medium to large and medium in firmness. Chandler performs well in the east and is well adapted to the south.
|
|
|
|
|
GAVIOTA U.C.
Although not grown too much in the United States anymore, Gaviota has excellent fruit quality (especially flavor), a compact plant with a cull rate about half that of Camarosa, and it expresses several important components of environmental tolerance, notably rain tolerance and greater resistance to mildew, Anthracnose crown rot and Verticilluim wilt.
|
|
|
|
|
HOOD - USDA
Hood is a pacific northwestern variety characterized by fruit borne well above the soil on strong, upright clusters. The berry is large, round and conic. The skin is glossy bright medium red. The berries are firm with a pleasant flavor. The fruit ripens midseason. Nice for preserves and jams.
|
|
|
|
|
OSO GRANDE - U.C.
OSO Grande performs well in Florida and parts of Spain. This U.C. selection produces sweet, large, and firm early fruit. Oso Grande produces glossy aromatic fruit that ships well. This variety has demonstrated a wide degree of adaptability and may work well in most locations.
|
|
|
|
PALOMAR - U.C.
Palomar was released to California nurseries for commercial propagation in spring 2007. It continues to show exceptional promise in field evaluations throughout California. Palomar produces similar early yield to Ventana at all locations. Palomar had substantially lower cull rates and/or higher appearance scores than Ventana in all trial locations, with fruit size similar to that of Ventana. Importantly, firmness, and the subjective evaluations of flavor and post-harvest fruit quality were excellent for Palomar. An additional feature of Palomar is that plant size is substantially smaller than that of Ventana, a factor that will permit increased planting density and facilitate harvest efficiency. However, with less vegetative vigor and a marked tendency to fruit heavily early in the season, growers in southern California may need to consider management practices that encourage plant vegetative growth, such as the use of clear polyethylene bed mulch and careful soil moisture and fertility management. One caution regarding this selection is the tendency to produce fruit with a dry calyx, most typically during the early part of the fruiting season.
|
|
|
|
|
FLORIDA RADIANCE (Florida) aka Fortuna (in Europe)
This strawberry cultivar has high early-season yields and good fruit size throughout the main production period in Florida and southwest Spain. The fruit is a glossy bright to dark red, easy to harvest, and has a smooth appearance. The flavor is acceptable and good under ideal growing conditions. Radiance fruit is firm yet juicy and sports an attractive calyx.
|
|
|
|
|
FLORIDA STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL (Florida)
Florida Stawberry Festival is a short day cultivar. Fruit is mostly conic in shape. The external color of a mature fruit is deep red and glossy; internal color is bright red. Fruit of Strawberry Festival have a very firm texture and excellent flavor. Strawberry Festival has a fruiting pattern and yield similar to that of Camarosa.
|
|
|
|
|
SWEET CHARLIE - (Florida)
Developed in Florida, Sweet Charlie is an early sweet variety. The plant is medium in size making harvest easy. Sweet Charlie has anthracnose tolerance and shows promise in Southern states.
|
|
|
|
|
TILLAMOOK - Pacific Northwest Variety
A high-yielding, large-fruited, mid-season cultivar with very high fruit quality that is suited to the fresh and processed markets. Tillamook produces higher yields than 'Totem' and 'Puget Reliance'. Tillamook produces fruit that can average 30% larger than 'Totem' and Puget Reliance'. The ripe fruit are visible in the canopy and easy to pick. The large fruit size and fruit visibility increases picker efficiency. The fruit have a bright-red external color similar to 'Totem'. The internal color is not as deep red or as uniformly red as 'Redcrest'. The fruit is very firm and has a very good fresh flavor. While the fruit were not evaluated extensively in storage trials, they hold up well in short term refrigeration and have a less tender skin than most of the Pacific Northwest cultivars. The fruit ripening season overlaps with 'Puget Reliance' and 'Totem'. Plants of Tillamook are vigorous and hold up well into the second harvest season suggesting some virus tolerance. Tillamook has good processing characteristics. When compared to Totem, it caps as well and has similar soluble solids, titratable acidity, and pH levels. In consumer panels, Tillamook has compared favorably with 'Totem' as processed product. In these panels, the color was noted to be lighter than 'Totem' but the fruit has a better appearance and flavor. The most outstanding characteristics of Tillamook are its high yield and very large attractive, high quality fruit. Tillamook will be an excellent cultivar for local fresh market sales, pick-your-own and for processing.
|
|
|
|
|
TOTEM - Pacific Northwest Variety
Early Northwest variety with bright red interior color. Excellent for processing. Medium sized fruit.
|
|
|
|
|
TREASURE - Peggy Chang Florida
Treasure is characterized by its vigorous plant, long fruit stem, easy harvesting characteristics, early production, very high yield, large fruit size, excellent fruit shape, very firm fruit and very good flavor. The fruit is conic shape and dark red color. Treasure is adapted to growing in the major fruit production areas of the Southeastern United States.
|
|
|
|
VALLEY RED - USDA
'Valley Red' is a high yielding cultivar that produces medium size fruit that are attractive and very uniform in size and shape. The fruit is primarily suited to processing with its dark red internal and external color. Flavor is consistently described as sweet. The fruit caps well. The yields are comparable to or higher than 'Totem'. The Valley Red crop ripens with Puget Reliance and slightly ahead of 'Totem' and 'Tillamook'. Plants are vigorous, virus tolerant, and very uniform in appearance. Valley Red has been excellent in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, the Skagit Valley in Washington, and the Fraser River Valley in British Columbia.
|
|
|
|
|
VENTANA - U.C.
Ventana is a short-day (June bearing) cultivar similar to Camarosa. Fruiting plants of Ventana are large and vigorous, similar to Camarosa, but more open than plants of Camarosa. When treated properly, it has tolerance to two-spotted spider mites (Tetranychus urticae) equal or greater than Gaviota and Camarosa. When treated with appropriate planting regimes, Ventana has similar fruit size and produces greater individual-plant yields than Gaviota or Camarosa. In general, Ventana is similar to that for Camarosa it initiates fruiting at the same time but produces great quantities of early-season fruit with most cultural treatments. Fruit from Ventana is lighter than Camarosa and Gaviota, with substantially brighter red coloration. Subjectively, Ventana has very good flavor. The fruit is fine for both fresh market and processing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
