COMPARISON OF FIELD PERFORMANCE AND FRUIT QUALITY OF TWO DAY-NEUTRAL STRAWBERRY CULTIVARS 'DIAMANTE' AND 'ELSINORE'

This study illustrates the differences in productivity and fruit quality attributes of two day-neutral strawberry cultivars (‘Diamante’ and ‘Elsinore’) throughout the growing season. Both cultivars were evaluated for their flowering and ripening time, yield components, as well as for biometrical fruit characteristics (fruit weight, index of fruit shape, and stalk length) and nutritional value (soluble solids content, titratable acidity and vitamin C content). These cultivars have the unique ability to flower and fruit from spring to autumn with several peaks throughout the season. In our study, ‘Diamante’ began to flower earlier than ‘Elsinore’ (April 14 and April 16, respectively), whereas ‘Elsinore’ had earlier ripening time (May 13). ‘Elsinore’ also expressed significantly higher values of all yield components, including the highest average yields per plant and square meter (504 and 3.02 kg, respectively). The mean fruit size ranged from 19.7 g (‘Elsinore’) to 22.5 g (‘Diamante’) showing decreasing trend from first to fourth harvest in both cultivars evaluated. ‘Diamante’ contained abundant quantities of soluble solids, titratable acids and vitamin C as an important attributes of nutritional fruit quality (8.6%, 0.87% and 60.1 mg/100 g FW, respectively). In general, fruiting period/ harvest time had a significant effect on yield components, physical and chemical fruit properties where increases in obtained values for productivity, fruit weight and stalk length were apparent in the first two harvests, whereas elevated concentrations of soluble solids and titratable acids were observed during mid-summer and early fall. Vitamin C content was unaffected by harvest time.