California Strawberry Commission 2008-09 Annual Pomology Project Report Project Title: Strawberry genetics, breeding, physiology and

production management Principal Investigators: Kirk D. Larson, Pomologist and Strawberry Specialist, Dept. of Plant Sciences, UC Davis (located at U.C. South Coast R.E.C., Irvine, California) Douglas V. Shaw, Professor and Geneticist, Dept. of Plant Sciences, U.C. Davis Co-Investigators Thomas R. Gordon, Professor, Dept. of Plant Pathology, U.C. Davis Frank G. Zalom, Entomologist, Dept. of Entomology, U.C. Davis Steve Koike, Extension Plant Pathologist, Univ. of Calif. Coop. Extension, Monterey County, CA
Please note: The intent of the Principal Investigators is to deliver an annual web-based report to the California strawberry industry by September 15 of each year in which we receive funding from the California Strawberry Commission. In 2009, we did not meet our September 15 publication deadline as the CSC did not release research funds to our project until after November 20 of 2009.

Abstract During the 2008-09 reporting period, we conducted investigations throughout the state to develop strawberry germplasm with improved production efficiency, environmental and disease tolerance, and improved product quality and market acceptance. The short-day cultivar Palomar was released in the 2006-07 production season and three day-neutral cultivars, Monterey, Portola and San Andreas, were released during the 2007-08 production season. We continue to conduct research on these new cultivars with the goal of defining appropriate production management practices. In regard to cultivar improvement, breeding and selection activities in Davis/Watsonville and in Irvine are focused on the development of germplasm adapted to the Central Coast region (Santa Maria north) and South Coast region (Santa Maria south), respectively. Additional breeding activities have included on-farm evaluations of advanced selections in grower-cooperator fields around the state. These on-farm trials typically involved 100-1,000 plant plots for each of 5-10 items. In these statewide trials, much of our effort has been placed on assessing the yield performance of several promising advanced short-day selections that have potential to be cultivars. Efforts to develop germplasm with outstanding horticultural traits and resistance/tolerance to Verticillium dahliae, Phytophthora cactorum and Colletotrichum acutatum have continued, and in 2009 we initiated work to develop genetic screens for Fusarium oxysporum and Macrophomina phaseolina at UC Davis and South Coast REC, respectively. Through use of repeated genetic screens during the past 12 years, we have identified good sources of disease resistance to Phytophthora and Verticillium within the UC breeding program. By means of recurrent breeding and selection, these traits are continually incorporated into selections that possess the requisite horticultural traits required of commercial cultivars. During the past seven years, we have worked to develop a genetic screen for identifying sources of resistance to C. acutatum. We have observed differences in resistance to C. acutatum among the various genotypes tested, as well differences among genotypes in regard to resistance of fruit and plant to infection: in some genotypes the fruit is highly susceptible but the plant is not, and vice versa. Additional activities during this period have focused on the effectiveness of novel soil fumigants and use of tunnels for solarization, as well as determining the influence of various irrigation and fertility management practices during the early fall plantation establishment period in southern California.

Introduction Improvement in the efficiency and product quality of strawberry production systems results from the development of superior production environments and breeding of cultivars specifically adapted to these environments. Research at the University of California in strawberry plant breeding and production physiology has resulted in cultivars and cultural practices that are responsible for the states position as the worlds largest strawberry producer. The competitive position currently held by California strawberry growers can be traced to use of cultivars that have broad environmental adaptation, innovative production systems that maximize yield, fruit quality, and harvest efficiency, and use of pest and pathogen-free plants and soil environments. However, agricultural markets and production environments are not static: currently, the California strawberry industry faces challenges due to an increasingly competitive market, rising production costs and decreasing fruit prices (in constant dollars), and the likelihood that a highly effective production tool, methyl bromide, will be unavailable in the near future. California strawberry growers need to overcome market and production cost barriers while experiencing increased costs and a decrease in the quality of the production environment. Our primary research objectives are to develop breeding and cultural solutions to these problems, and our activities to address these research objectives are summarized below. Summary: The central focus of the U.C. Davis strawberry (Pomology) program is the release of improved cultivars and development of cultural methods for optimizing their performance. In addition, we are focused on long-term breeding efforts with the goal of developing superior cultivars with broad environmental adaptation and disease tolerance. We continue to investigate the benefits and limitations of fumigation alternatives and other technologies that have potential for increasing yield, fruit quality and production efficiency. A summary of the most important activities is included below.

Performance of newly-released cultivars Palomar, Monterey, Portola and San Andreas The short-day cultivar Palomar was released in spring of 2007 (Fig. 1). Plants of Palomar are compact with relatively low vigor, but with appropriate treatments are capable of producing 1000 crates/acre of fruit in southern California by mid-January (Table 1). To sustain such early-season fruit loads, Palomar growers must use early digging/planting dates, bed mulches that warm the soil (Table 2) and appropriate, site-specific irrigation and fertility management practices. Presently, use of the Palomar cultivar is confined to southern California, and acreage has doubled (to >600 acres) since the 2008-09 season. Due to a low cull rate, compact growth habit, early fruiting, excellent pollination, uniformly-shaped berries, and a tendency to produce fruit on long peduncles (stems) (Fig. 3), Palomar has exceptional harvest efficiency. Early season yield of Palomar can be quite high (Table 3) regardless of plant spacing. However, Palomars compact plant size enables growers to use 15-20% more plants per acre (~28,00029,000 plants vs. 24,500 plants/acre for Ventana), resulting in increased early and total yields. Fruit of Palomar has excellent appearance, with very good internal and external color and firmness (Figs. 4, 5). Subjectively, fruit flavor of Palomar is consistently ranked as either excellent or very good. With excellent internal and external fruit color, Brix, shape and firmness, Palomar fruit should be an excellent processing berry (Fig. 6). A major caution with Palomar is that early season fruit often develops a dry calyx which detracts from the overall appearance of the fruit (Figs. 7, 8). Research conducted in Florida and Spain suggests that high nutrient levels (high soil Ec) in combination with cold temperatures can exacerbate this problem, but conclusive evidence has not been presented at this time. Another caution is that Palomar is susceptible to Phytophthora root and crown rot (Fig. 9), and growers should use appropriate preventative measures.

Fig. 1. Fruiting plants of Palomar in April in Watsonville, California.

Fig. 2. Fruiting plants of Palomar in early December in Irvine, California.

Fig. 3. Fruiting plants of Palomar in early April in Irvine, California. Note compact plant, uniform fruit shape/size and easily-harvested fruit.

Fig. 4. Palomar fruit in tray.

Fig. 5. Fruit of Palomar in February in Irvine, California. Note internal color and small cavity.

Fig. 6. Fruiting plants of Palomar in June in Irvine, California. Note uniform size and shape of fruit, and open, erect plant canopy that facilitates harvest.

Figs. 7, 8. Dry calyx in green and mature fruit of Palomar. Oxnard, Calif. Jan., 2005.

Fig. 9. Palomar plant collapse caused by Phytophthora cactorum.

Table 1. Performance of Palomar planted with clear and black polyethylene mulch on two dates at the U.C. South Coast R.E.C., Irvine, California, 2007-08. dig / plant date Sept. 27 / Oct.1 Mulch Black Clear Oct. 4 / Oct. 8 Black Clear Yield (12# Crates/Acre) to March 1 April 1 June 1 1184 1629 918 1148 2426 3087 1764 2331 7052 7592 6570 6935

Macdoel plants, 24,500 plants/acre on 4-row bed.

Table 2. Early-season yield performance (to January 13, 2007*) of Palomar and Ventana at the U.C. South Coast R.E.C., Irvine, California, 2007. Fruit Appearance (5=best) 3.6 4.0

Item Ventana Palomar

No. of 12# Crates/Acre 558 977

Size (g) 36.1 34.2

Firmness (5=v. firm) 3.7 4.0

Macdoel plants, 24,500 plants/acre on 4-row bed. * Freeze event with temperatures of 26 F on Jan 13, 2007.

Table 3. Performance of fresh-market Palomar and Ventana on clear polyethylene mulch in Oxnard*, 2008-09. Item Palomar Ventana Yield (12# Crates/Acre) to March 1 May 16 1,217 1,199 5,701 5,337

*Macdoel plants planted Oct. 1 Data courtesy of Glen Hasegawa and Steve Imoto Camarillo Ranch, Ventura Co., California

The new day-neutral cultivars Monterey, Portola and San Andreas were released to the California industry in spring of 2007. All three cultivars produce significantly greater yields than Albion. Monterey is a moderate day-neutral, slightly stronger flowering than Albion with a similar production pattern in Watsonville, but with a later peak in southern California. More than five million plants of Monterey have been planted in Oxnard for fruit production in 2009-10. In southern California, plants of Monterey are vigorous and require spacing similar to that of Ventana (Figs. 10-12). Fruit of Monterey is larger but less firm than that of Albion, although post harvest traits for Monterey are similar to those of Albion. Monterey has outstanding flavor with a very sweet aftertaste that is unique among California cultivars. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Asian consumers are especially interested in Monterey. Monterey has good disease resistance, although it is susceptible to powdery mildew (Sphaerotheca macularis) and anthracnose (Colletotrichum acutatum). Control of powdery mildew in this cultivar will require attention by both nursery and fruit growers. Monterey is an excellent nursery runner producer. Portola is a strong day-neutral cultivar with broad adaptation. This cultivar can be used in standard winter planting systems, and it is earlier than Albion to initiate fruiting. Due to a strong flowering response Portola is well adapted to spring and summer planting systems in Santa Maria and Oxnard, and typically produces >4000 crates/acre. Portola has a vigorous plant and will require a lower plant density than Albion (Figs. 13-14). Fruit of Portola is similar in size to Albion but lighter in color and with more shine (Figs. 15-17). Post harvest characteristics for Portola are similar to those for Albion but Portola is less rain tolerant than most UC cultivars. Fruit flavor for Portola is excellent and consistent throughout the fruiting season. Cold-stored plants of summer-planted Portola are vigorous and large in size, and resistant to Phytophthora cactorum but moderately susceptible to Verticillium dahliae and Colletotrichum acutatum. Leaves and fruit are moderately susceptible to powdery mildew (Sphaerotheca macularis). Nursery productivity for Portola is exceptional. San Andreas is a moderate day-neutral cultivar. In the Central Coast region, San Andreas has a production pattern similar to that of Albion, but in Southern California it is earlier to fruit than Albion. In Watsonville, plant vigor for San Andreas is somewhat greater than for Albion early in the season but plant size throughout the fruiting season is similar to Albion due to its high and consistent productivity (Figs 18, 19). In southern California, San Andreas is not a highly vigorous plant and has extremely high harvest efficiency. As with the cultivar Palomar, growers should consider use of clear or Panda bed mulch and higher plant densities compared to Ventana or Camarosa. This cultivar produces few runners in the fruiting field. Fruit of San Andreas is exceptional in appearance (Figs. 20-22) and notably superior to Albion early in the season. San Andreas fruit color is slightly lighter than that of Albion, and has similar post harvest characteristics and exceptional rain tolerance. The flavor of San Andreas is very good and similar to that of Albion. San Andreas has a good disease resistance profile with no outstanding cautions. Due to a low chilling requirement, early production and excellent fruit quality, San Andreas has quickly become a major commercial cultivar in southern California production districts. Nursery productivity for San Andreas is similar to or slightly below that for Albion. Fertility management of Albion and San Andreas cultivars in Southern California. There is considerable acreage of the day-neutral cultivars Albion and San Andreas in Southern California, and these cultivars perform best with early nursery digging and immediate planting (no cold storage) in late September. Early-dug plants of these cultivars are not highly vigorous, but vegetative growth is enhanced with clear polyethylene bed mulch and nitrogen applications. Occasionally, the first flower panicle may need to be removed to encourage vegetative plant development in these cultivars .

Fig. 10. Fruiting plants of Monterey in April in Santa Maria, California.

Fig. 11. Fruiting plants of Monterey in May in Watsonville, California.

Fig. 12. Fruiting plants of Monterey in June in Irvine, California.

Fig. 13. Fruiting plants of Portola in May in Santa Maria, California.

Fig. 14. Fruiting plants of Portola in April in Watsonville, California.

Fig.15. Fruit of fall-planted, high-elevation plants of Portola in July in Watsonville, California.

Fig. 16. Fruit of summer-planted Portola in November in Irvine, California

Fig. 17. Fruit of summer-planted Portola in November in Irvine, California.

Fig. 18. Fruiting plants of San Andreas in April in Santa Maria, California.

Fig. 19. Fruiting plants of San Andreas in May in Watsonville, California.

Fig. 20. Fruiting plants of San Andreas in November in Irvine, California.

Fig. 21. Fruit of San Andreas in January in Oxnard, California.

Fig. 22. Fruit of San Andreas in November in Irvine, California.

Results for Watsonville performance trials for the new day-neutral cultivars compared with Diamante and Albion are shown in Table 3. All three new day neutral cultivars have about 20% greater total yield as well as greater late-season yields compared to Albion and Diamante. Results of performance trials for fall plantings in the Central Coast region indicate that there is relatively little difference in yield or fruit quality for high elevation plants stored for 2.5 or 3.5 weeks, suggesting that these cultivars are relatively stable to differing nursery treatments (Table 4). Plants of Monterey and San Andreas have somewhat reduced yields with later plantings, so very late nursery harvest and long periods of cold storage should be avoided for these cultivars. In southern California, the new dayneutral cultivars perform best with late-September digging dates and immediate planting with no supplemental cold storage (Tables 5, 6).

Table 3. Average Performance of Three New Day Neutral Cultivars Compared with Albion and Diamante at the Watsonville U.C. Strawberry Research Facility, 2005-08 Yield (C/A) 8,433 8,167 10,396 10,270 10,884 Late Yield (C/A) 2,170 2,246 2,590 2,702 2,730 Appearance Score (5 = best) 3.6 3.9 3.5 4.4 3.6 Fruit Size (g/fruit) 32.1 31.6 33.0 31.9 32.7 Firmness (lbs/inch2) 11.0 11.1 10.8 11.6 10.3

Item Albion Diamante Monterey Portola San Andreas

Macdoel plants harvested October 15 and planted with 2.5 weeks of cold storage. 52-inch beds with 17,300 plants per acre.

Table 4. Average Performance of Three New Day Neutral Cultivars Planted with Varying Cold Storage Treatments at the Watsonville U.C. Strawberry Research Facility, 2005-08 Weeks Storage 1 2.5 3.5 1 2.5 3.5 1 2.5 3.5 Yield (C/A) 10,390 10,396 9,726 9,504 10,270 10,120 10,364 10,884 11,028 Late Yield (C/A) 2,694 2,170 2,356 2,509 2,702 2,708 2,669 2,730 2,822 Appearance Score (5 = best) 3.5 3.5 3.3 4.3 4.4 4.5 3.7 3.6 3.6 Fruit Size (g/fruit) 32.3 33.0 31.6 31.4 31.9 32.1 31.5 32.7 31.8

Item Monterey

Portola

San Andreas

Macdoel plants harvested October 15 and planted after 1 to 3.5 weeks of cold storage. 52-inch beds with 17,300 plants per acre.

Breeding cultivars with disease resistance and outstanding horticultural characteristics During the past 13 years, our project has invested significant resources in developing genetic screens for the soilborne pathogens Verticillium dahliae and Phytophthora cactorum as well as for two-spotted mite and powdery mildew. In 2003 we initiated work to develop a genetic screen for Colletotrichum acutatum, and in 2009 we initiated work to develop genetic screens for Fusarium oxysporuum and Macrophomina phaseolina. Work with Verticillium, Phytophthora and Fusarium has been conduced at the U.C. Wolfskill Experimental Orchard near Davis, while work with Colletotorichum and Macrophomina has been conducted at the U.C. South Coast R.E.C. in Irvine. Our objective in conducting this research is two-fold: 1) to identify disease resistance/susceptibility profiles for potential cultivars and advanced selections; and 2) to develop breeding populations that have outstanding horticultural traits and good disease resistance/tolerance. Our genetic screen methodologies are derived from Kochs postulates in that 1) the causal microorganism is isolated from a diseased plant and then grown in pure culture; and 2) the microorganism causes disease when introduced into healthy plant tissues. To avoid confounding results in conducting our genetic screens, we apply methyl bromide/chloropicrin as a pre-plant soil fumigant to eliminate all soilborne pathogens from our disease screening sites and we inoculate with a single pathogen. For the same reason, we use only disease-free planting stock obtained from our carefully maintained nurseries and propagation facilities. Depending on the disease, we inoculate either soil or healthy plants with the pathogen of interest and then compare growth, survival and/or yield of the inoculated plants with non-inoculated controls. To date we have made significant progress in developing cultivars that have outstanding horticultural characteristics as well as improved disease resistance profiles. Our Colletotrichum acutatum genetic screen relies on the use of plug plants that are propagated in a disease-free environment. Each year, runner tips of about 50 cultivars and advanced selections are selected for uniformity and propagated under intermittent mist to make plug plants (Figs. 23-25). Plug plants of each genotype are either inoculated with spores of C. acutatum (Fig. 26) or maintained as non-inoculated controls. Inoculated plants are watered frequently for 7-10 days to encourage infection (Fig. 27) after which the control and inoculated plants are established in the field (Fig. 28). Advanced selections that are tolerant and intolerant of C. acutatum are shown in Fig. 29 and Fig. 30, respectively.

Fig. 23. Runner tip development.

Fig. 24. Selection and propagation of runner tips.

Fig. 25. Rooted plug plant.

Fig. 26. Preparation of C. acutatum inocula used to infect experimental plug plants.

Fig. 27. Inoculated plug plants are sprinkled frequently to encourage disease infection

Fig. 28. Colletotrichum genetic screen evaluation field with inoculated and non-inoculated plants

Plants inoculated with C. acutatum

Plants inoculated with C. acutatum

Non-inoculated control plants

Non-inoculated control plants

Fig. 29. Advanced selection in our genetic screen that is relatively tolerant to C.acutatum.

Fig. 30. Advanced selection in our genetic screen that is relatively intolerant to C. acutaum.

Disease resistance scores for objective trials are presented in Table 5 for new and current cultivars. All of the new day neutral cultivars are at least moderately resistant to Verticillium wilt and Phytophthora crown rot, but Palomar is fairly susceptible to Phytophthora. Portola and Monterey are moderately susceptible to plant infection by Colletotrichum, but none of the new cultivars are especially sensitive to fruit infection with this pathogen. The most important caution is that Monterey is susceptible to powdery mildew, and this pathogen will require close control for this genotype. None of the selections show excessive susceptibility to spidermites, although anecdotal evidence suggests that in southern California early-planted San Andreas and Palomar may be somewhat more susceptible to two-spotted mites than other U.C. cultivars.

Table 5. Disease resistance scores for standard and new U.C. cultivars Phytophthora Item Camarosa Camino Real Ventana Albion Palomar Monterey Portola San Andreas cactorum 3.6 4.4 2.5 4.3 2.4 3.2 3.8 4.4 Verticillium dahliae 2.5 4.2 3.0 3.8 3.3 3.4 3.8 3.3 Colletotrichum acutatum 2.6 3.1 3.0 3.4 3.2 2.4 2.9 2.7

Resistance scores: 1 = highly susceptible, 5 = highly resistant

Breeding Objectives and Development of New Short-Day Cultivars Our program seeks to develop short-day cultivars that have early production with a long fruiting season, with little or no gaps, and an attenuated mid-season peak. Plants should be easy to grow in both nurseries and fruiting fields, with an architecture that facilitates harvest efficiency, and fruit should have consistently good flavor and quality. We actively seek to develop plants and fruit that have good environmental and disease tolerance. Nine new, distinct short-day cultivars were evaluated at UC research facilities and in grower trials around the state in 2008-09, and two of these selections, C225 (Fig. 31) and C227 (Fig. 32), are in the process of cultivar disclosure.

Fig. 31. Fruiting plants of advanced short-day selection C225 at the So. Coast REC, Irvine, California.

Fig 32. Fruiting plants of advanced short-day selection C227 at the So. Coast REC, Irvine, California.

In statewide trials, both C225 and C227 have similar production patterns to Ventana and comparable early-season and total-season yields, but with lower cull rates, greater harvest efficiency, larger fruit size, and greater fruit quality, including flavor (Tables 6, 7 and 8).

Table 6. Three-year* Average Yield Performance for High-elevation Advanced Short-day Selections C225 and C227 Compared with Ventana and Camarosa in Irvine, California. Dug Sept 26 / planted Sept 30 12# C/Acre to 3/1 Cull Item Total Marketable % C225 C227 Ventana Camarosa 1,782 2,282 1,832 1,494 1,701 2,120 1,553 1,211 4.6 6.0 15.2 19.0 Fruit Size App. (g) (5=best) 34.4 36.6 32.5 31.0 3.1 3.8 3.2 2.6 . Firm. (5=firm) 3.4 3.2 3.4 3.4

12# C/Acre to 6/8 Total Marketable 10,022 9,792 8,829 9,189 8,060 8,496 6,930 6,903

Cull % 21.6 13.2 21.5 24.9

* Table shows only one year of performance data for C225 for this planting date Macdoel plants with 24,500 plants/acre on a 64-inch wide 4-row bed

Table 7. Three-year* Average Yield Performance for High-elevation Advanced Short-day Selections C225 and C227 Compared with Ventana and Camarosa in Irvine, California. Dug Oct 3 / planted Oct 6 12# C/Acre to 3/1 Cull Item Total Marketable % C225 C227 Ventana Camarosa 1,053 1,166 1,229 734 995 1,098 1,103 536 5.6 5.8 10.3 27.0 Fruit Size App. (g) (5=best) 33.3 35.8 32.1 30.9 3.4 3.7 3.4 2.7 . Firm. (5=firm) 3.5 3.3 3.4 3.4

12# C/Acre to 6/8 Total Marketable 8,028 8,114 8,352 8,136 6,579 7,065 6,368 5,819

Cull % 18.1 12.9 23.8 28.5

* Table shows only two years of performance data for C225 for this planting date Macdoel plants with 24,500 plants/acre on a 64-inch wide 4-row bed

As in past years, test plots of the short-day selections C225 and C227 have been established in various grower-cooperator fields throughout the state in the 2009-10 season. Several cooperators established C225 and C227 in day-neutral plantings of Albion and San Andreas rather than in plantings of short-day varieties such as Ventana. Plants of C225 and C227 are fairly vigorous, and it appears that the nitrogen fertility management program used for the day-neutral cultivars has resulted in excessive vigor and a reduction in fruiting in C225 and C227. Growers should always consider the effects of nitrogen fertility management when planting more than one cultivar in a given field.

Table 8. Performance of Ventana, C225 and C277 Evaluated at South Coast R.E.C. - Irvine, Santa Maria and the Watsonville Strawberry Research Facility in 2008 and 2009 Fruit Early Yield* (C/A) 1,168 992 1,098 Yield (C/A) 6,714 6,577 6,797 Cull Rate (%) 21.7 17.8 13.7 Appearance Score (5=best) 3.3 3.4 3.7 Size (g) 33.6 33.3 34.8 Firmness (5 = v. firm) 3.3 3.5 3.3

Location Irvine (Oct. 3-5)

Item Ventana C225 C227

Sta Maria** (Oct. 23-26)

Ventana C225 C227

532 602 493

4,975 5,895 4,009

33.3 26.4 26.7

27.2 29.5 30.8

Watsonville (Oct. 23-26)

Ventana C225 C227

3,051 2,975 2,154

8,274 8,175 7,183

3.0 3.6 3.7

33.3 33.7 36.0

9.8 10.0 9.3

* Early yield calculated to March 1, April 10, and May 1 for Irvine, Sta. Maria, & Watsonville respectively. ** 2008 results only.

Both of the new advanced selections are well-adapted to early planting in southern California production systems. Plants of C225 are moderately vigorous but more open than Camarosa (Fig. 31), and fruit is similar in shape and color to Camarosa but larger in size and with consistently excellent flavor (Figs. 33, 34). Plants of C227 have moderate vigor and an open plant canopy (Fig. 32), and fruit is larger than that of Camarosa with better flavor, a consistent conical shape and a bright red shine (Figs. 35, 38). Fruit of C227 maintains a large fruit size throughout the season, and while its fruit is somewhat softer than most UC cultivars, it is firmer than many commercial cultivars grown in California. A qualitative summary of performance characteristics and postharvest traits (Table 9) demonstrates that the two advanced short-day selections are superior to Ventana for most individual characteristics. Subjectively, fruit of both of these advanced selections have flavor superior to that of Ventana, and with similar rain tolerance. The advanced selection C225 has good tolerance to Phytophthora cactorum but is susceptible to Verticillium, while C227 has good tolerance to Verticillium but is susceptible to Phytophthora (Table 10). Both items are intermediate in susceptibility to Colletotrichum. Neither item appears to be especially susceptible to powdery mildew (Sphaerotheca macularis) or 2-spotted mites. Nursery productivity for both items is good and better than Ventana.

Fig. 33. Fruit of advanced short-day selection C225.

Fig. 34. Cross-sectional view of fruit of C225.

Fig. 35. Fruit of advanced short-day selection C227.

Fig. 36. Cross-sectional view of fruit of C227.

Table 9. Qualitative Evaluations for Two New Short-Day Advanced Selections Compared to Ventana. C225 Compared with Ventana 0 0 + + + + + + 0 0 + + + C227 Compared with Ventana 0 + + 0 + + 0 + 0 0 + + +

Trait Productivity Production pattern Fruit size Firmness Appearance Flavor Postharvest storage Rain/Weather tolerance Disease tolerance Mite tolerance Harvest ease Cull rate Runners (nursery)

Table 10. Disease resistance scores for Ventana, C225 and C227 in 2008 and 2009.

Genotype Ventana C225 C227

Phytophthora resistance score 2.1 3.5 2.3

Verticillium resistance score 2.9 2.1 3.8

Colletotrichum* resistance score 2.7 2.6 2.7

Resistance scores: 1 = highly susceptible, 5 = highly resistant *evaluated in 2009 only.

Strawberry Production System Management Research Irrigation Method and Fertility Management Affect Plantation Establishment. A three-year drought in California has resulted in reduced irrigation water quality and availability in many parts of the state. Several irrigation districts in strawberry growing regions have indicated that, due to water scarcity, future water deliveries may be reduced during the fall strawberry planting season. Also, some irrigation districts have converted (or will be converting) to the use of reclaimed water, which has higher salinity levels than normal irrigation water. The spike in energy prices in 2008-9 resulted in greatly inflated prices for fertilizer and plastic, prompting some growers to use soluble pre-plant fertilizers rather than standard controlled-release (CR) fertilizers like Agriform (Scotts Sierra, Marysville, OH). Here, the concern is that use of soluble fertilizers could exacerbate soil and water salinity levels and cause damage to bare-root strawberry transplants (Figs. 37, 39). We established a 0.2-acre field trial at the U.C. South Coast R.E.C. in Irvine, California in 2008-09 to determine effects of irrigation method (drip vs sprinkler), fertility management (CR vs. CR + soluble fertilizer) and mulch (clear vs. black) on plant establishment and survival. In early September, 2008 we used a half-acre plot of fumigated ground (350 #/acre of 57:43 methyl bromide : chloropicrin) to make four-row beds on 64-inch centers. Beds had two drip lines, and were formed using either of two fertilizer treatments applied in a slot directly under the plotting rows at a 4.5-inch depth: 1) CR Agriform 18-8-13 at a rate of 200# of nitrogen/acre; or 2) a mixture of CR Agriform 18-8-13 at a rate of 100 pounds of nitrogen/acre and 15-15-15 at a rate of 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre. Three beds of each fertilizer treatment (six beds total) were located near one edge of the field and received only drip irrigation while six identical beds were located at the other edge of the field and were irrigated with sprinklers and occasional drip-irrigation. Black and clear polyethylene mulches were applied equally to both irrigation treatment blocks. Irrigation treatments were treated as main plots while fertilizer and mulch treatments were randomized within main plots and considered as minor plots. Bare-root, high-elevation plants of Camarosa, Palomar, San Andreas and Ventana were established on October 6, 2008 in the various treatment plots. The October-November establishment period was characterized by well-above normal temperatures and frequent, strong Santa Ana winds. For the sprinkler treatment, irrigation was applied daily or even more frequently depending on temperature and wind conditions. In contrast, was not possible to drip-irrigate the drip-only plots more than once per day as even one daily drip-irrigation cycle often resulted in bed collapse due to soil saturation. Despite daily drip-irrigation, salinity build-up at the base of plants receiving drip-only irrigation resulted in severe plant stunting (Fig. 38-40), particularly in the CR + 15-15-15 fertilizer treatment. In the driponly plot, use of CR fertilizer resulted in 4.5% plant mortality, while use of CR + 15-15-15 fertilizers resulted in a 24.4% mortality rate (Table 11). In contrast, plants receiving sprinkler-irrigation sustained either zero mortality or a 0.15% mortality rate when established with CR fertilizer or CR + 15-15-15 fertilizer, respectively. We continue to study the effects of various irrigation methods and fertility management programs on plant establishment and yield during the 2009-10 season.

Fig. 37. Soil salinity concerns in drip-only irrigated strawberry fields.

Fig. 38. Salt accumulation at base of drip-only irrigated plant.

Fig. 39. Bare-root Ventana plants established with drip irrigation only.

Fig. 40. Bare-root Ventana plants established with sprinkler irrigation.

Table 11. Irrigation, fertility management and bare-root transplant mortality, Irvine 2008-09.

Irrigation treatment Drip-only

Fertilizer treatment CR (18-8-13)* CR (18-8-13) + 15-15-15 **

% Plant mortality 4.5 24.4

Sprinkler + drip

CR (18-8-13)* CR (18-8-13) + 15-15-15 **

0 0.15

* CR 18-8-13 = Scotts Sierra Controlled Release Agriform 18-8-13 applied preplant at 200 pounds nitrogen/acre. ** CR 18-8-13 + 15-15-15 = Scotts Sierra Controlled Release Agriform 18-8-13 applied preplant at 100 pounds nitrogen/acre + 15-15-15 applied at a rate of 100 pounds nitrogen/acre.