THE INFLUENCE OF HARVEST TIME ON STRAWBERRY FRUIT QUALITY (FRAGARIA × ANANASSA DUCH.)

The work presents the influence of harvest time on important parameters of fruit quality (fruit weight, chemical composition as well as organoleptic properties) of seven strawberry cultivars (‘Čačanska rana’, ‘Evita’, ‘Madeleine’, ‘Eris’, ‘Selena’, ‘Cortina’ and ‘Favette’). The obtained results of fruit weight indicate that the average values are in the range from 8.06 g (‘Čačanska rana’) to 19.86 g (‘Selena’). With regard to chemical fruit composition, higher values of soluble solids content were obtained in the third and fourth harvest in most of cultivars studied. Later harvest time also had a positive influence on decrease of total acids content. Based on most of parameters evaluated it can be concluded that fruit quality of the studied strawberry cultivars expressed different behavior depending on the harvest time.