Advances in strawberry breeding in Mexico: genotypes selection with high productivity, good fruit quality, and tolerance to the local viral complex and Fusarium oxysporum

The Mexican strawberry industry depends on foreign cultivars, which exhibit high productivity and fruit quality in their counties of origin, but when grown in central Mexico, do not express the same potential. They are also susceptible to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae (Fof), and some of them to the local viral complex (LVC). INIFAP and CINVESTAV are developing genotypes adapted to our environment, and precocious, productive and with good organoleptic and nutraceutical qualities. The aim of this work is to update the progress made from 2011 to 2014. Intraspecific clones of F. × ananassa and interspecific clones with F. chiloensis, complemented with one or two backcrosses to the first one, were evaluated. Results showed that intraspecific clones had greater genetic advances for yield and fruit quality, but only a few of them exhibited simultaneously higher tolerance to Fof and to the LVC. On the other hand, interspecific clones exhibited greater tolerance to Fof, and in certain cases to the LVC. In this research the implications of the genetic improvement for yield and fruit quality, and the long term breeding strategy, in addition to tolerance against both kind of pathogens, are discussed. Difficulties and consequences of selection for tolerance to Fof and LVC, using as sources of resistance to both pathogens in F. chiloensis as well as in F. × ananassa, under field conditions, and its impact on the genetic gain for yield and quality, and the need to confirm the tolerance to Fof by mean of artificial inoculations in the first place, and if appropriate, eventually, use it to select among offsprings, at the seedling stage, are analyzed.