STUDY ON NEW STRAWBERRY VARIETIES EVALUATED IN SICILY

The variety evolution and growing techniques have modified the strawberry cultivation in the Italian Mediterranean areas. Different trials in Sicily showed that varietal choices are the base to reach high levels of quality and quantity production. In Sicily, 300 ha of strawberries are now cultivated and ‘Tudla’ is still the principal variety (60%), ‘Camarosa’ is the most cultivated variety in the other southern strawberry areas, but in Sicily this cultivar does not generate a great interest because of its lateness. New cultivars, such as ‘Candonga’, ‘Ventana’ and ‘Naiad’, have been trialled in the last years but further evaluations are necessary. The trial was carried out at the experimental field located in Marsala (western coast of Sicily) in 2006. Five cultivars (‘Camarosa’, ‘Candonga’, ‘Tudla’, ‘Naiad’, ‘Ventana’) and one selection (‘MT 99.20.1’ – ‘Nora’) have been compared using frigo and fresh plants. Fine quality and defects of ‘Tudla’ and ‘Camarosa’ were confirmed. The selection ‘MT 99.20.1’ (‘Nora’) (obtained from the breeding activity included in the national project called “Frutticoltura”) grown as fresh plant, has shown high earliness with sweet and firm fruits. Plants of ‘Candonga’ have produced the sweetest and biggest fruits; nevertheless, this cultivar is late and less productive than ‘Tudla’ both as frigo-plants and as fresh plants. ‘Ventana’ is not suitable for the Sicilian pedo-climatic environment.