Quality of strawberry grown in Brazilian tropical humid conditions for breeding programs

Abstract

The preliminary study of the post-harvest quality of the fruit from strawberry cultivarsin a new growing region is necessary for both farmers and consumers. The objective of the present study was toevaluate strawberry cultivars at different harvest times with regard to fruit quality aiming at the selection of possibleparents for breeding programs for cultivation in the tropical humid conditions of the city Datas, in Minas Gerais State(Brazil), and in other regions with similar soil-climatic conditions.Materials and methods.The strawberry fieldswere cultivated on the Mape Frutas Farm, located in the cityof Datas-MG. Eight cultivars (‘Aromas’, ‘Camarosa’,‘Campinas’, ‘Diamante’, ‘Dover’, ‘Festival’, ‘Oso Grande’, and ‘Toyonoka’) were assessed in a randomized blockdesign with a split-plot in time. Four replicates and three harvest times (June, August, and October 2012) were evaluated.Fruit from the different cultivars were analyzed for their physicochemical and antioxidant properties.Results anddiscussion.There was a genetic variability and the predominance of genetic factors over environmental effects forthe evaluated traits. Fruits harvested at the end of the crop cycle (October) had the highest levels of total reducingsugars, vitamin C, phenols, anthocyanins, carotenoids, soluble solids, and total antioxidant activity. Cultivars Camarosa,Festival, and Toyonoka showed better fruit quality.Conclusion.Based on the genetic dissimilarity and fruit quality, thecross between ‘Toyonoka’ and ‘Camarosa’ or ‘Festival’ is indicated for the genetic improvement of strawberry in theregion and other places with similar soil-climatic conditions.