Five New Strawberry Varieties With Soilborne Disease Resistance, High Yields, and Improved Fruit Quality

The University of California, Davis, is releasing five new strawberry varieties that are resistant to Fusarium wilt, have high yields, and have improved fruit quality.

Foundation Plant Services sells UC Eclipse, UC Golden Gate, UC Keystone, UC Monarch, and UC Surfline to California nurseries.

Varieties for the seasons

(Photo : AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images)

California produces approximately 88% of the strawberries grown in the United States.

Fusarium wilt is one of the most prevalent causes of crop loss and death, according to UC Davis research, and yet 55% to 59% of cultivars planted in the state are susceptible since 2014 have not been resistant, as per Phys.org.

They are intended to replace vulnerable plants currently on the market, such as Monterey, UCD Royal Royce, and UCD Valiant.

UC Monarch was also developed specifically as a prototype for mechanical harvesting-another first from the breeding program, which began in the 1930s and has since released 72 patented cultivars.

According to Steve Knapp, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences and Director of the UC Davis Strawberry Breeding Program, these provide the same yield or better and are Fusarium resistant.

They have a more diverse set of characteristics, which means they're better.

Fusarium wilt did not pose a significant threat to strawberry crops until 2005, when the fumigant methyl bromide was phased out of use in the United States.

However, the pathogen had always been present in the soil, and cases of wilt appeared a year later and increased over time, raising fears that a Fusarium wilt pandemic could wipe out California's crop.

"The disease has spread quickly, and we need to respond quickly to meet the demand," said Glenn Cole, a strawberry breeder and field manager with the Strawberry Breeding Program.

According to Knapp, the program tries to "encourage people to consider things like disease resistance," and it regularly invites growers and other experts to events showcasing research breakthroughs and improved cultivars.

Each of the new strawberry varieties has improved flavor and characteristics that allow for year-round growing in California, where approximately 1.8 billion pounds of fruit are harvested each year.

Some of the cultivars are suited to production in the state's south, while others thrive in the summer's long daylight hours along the coast.

Eclipse, a "summer plant" cultivar, has the potential to increase grower profitability because it produces in the fall and winter, and yields were 54% higher in research testing than similar cultivars.

UC Golden Gate and UC Keystone are "day neutral" cultivars that grow throughout the summer on approximately 60% of the state's strawberry farming acres.

The "short-day" plants UC Surfline and UC Monarch are resistant to Verticillium wilt and Phytophthora crown rot.

UC Surfline and UC Eclipse are firmer and more durable. UC Monarch, according to Knapp, provides growers with improved fruit qualities when compared to other mass-produced cultivars and has characteristics required for advancements in mechanical harvesting.

Also Read: Stargazing 2017: Mini Strawberry Moon to Light Up the Sky on June 9

Fusarium wilt

According to Gardening Know How, many different species of plants are at risk, including economically significant agricultural produce such as sweet potatoes, tomatoes, legumes, melons, and bananas (the infection is known as Panama disease in bananas).

F. oxysporum thrives at soil temperatures above 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit) and can live in the soil indefinitely without living plant hosts.

Fusarium is most common in warm soils and is found in plant debris and soil.

Rotation and sterilization are the most effective ways to prevent infection in your crops or plants.

Never plant the same crop in the same location year after year.