STRAWBERRY BREEDING PROGRAMMES IN POLAND

Strawberry breeding programmes are realized in Agricultural University of Lublin and Pomology Research Institute of Skierniewice. The breeding work has been carried out in Poland for 20 years. Our purposes are to breed varieties 1) for growing outdoors, early forcing under the plastic cover, and everbearing of day-neutral varieties in summer harvesting culture; 2) high yielding capacity, easy and quick to pick, large fruit size for fresh-market and labour-saving harvest; 3) high quality of fruits, (external appearance: fruit shape, color, yellow achenes and glossy skin), internal properties (aroma, taste, acidity, texture, hardness of skin and flesh for shipping and industry quality);

4) Good level of disease resistance [Verticillium wilt (Verticillium albo-atrum, V. dahliae), Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum), powdery mildew (Sphaeroteca macularis humuli), gray mold (Botrytis cinerea), leaf spot (Mycospharella fragariae), leaf scorch (Diplocarpon erliana), and other diseases.

Our breeding methods include: 1) cross pollination of varieties, clones or inbred lines for evaluation of GCA and SCA (General and Specific Combining Ability); 2) choosing combinations with high estimate of GCA and SCA, and repeated crosses on a large scale; 3) screening and selection of invidivual plants; 4) screening and selection of A.B.C. clones; 5) national trials; and 6) registration and introduction.