Strawberry Cultivars for the Finnish Fresh Market

Abstract

Eight strawberry ( Fragaria x ananassa) cultivars were tested in a two-year field trial in southern Finland. The trial was linked to the joint European cultivar network under project COST 836. Among the test cultivars, the two of greatest interest were ‘Ciloe’ and ‘Vima ^®Zanta’. ‘Ciloe’ had good fruit size and firmness. Flavor was considered inadequate, however, and it is unclear whether ‘Ciloe’ would be accepted in Finnish strawberry markets. The advantages of ‘Vima ^®Zanta’ were earliness and fairly good flavor, but the leaves showed clear symptoms of mildew ( Sphaerotheca alchemillae). The limiting factor for acceptance for most of the test cultivars was poor taste. Two years testing time was insufficient, however, for establishing the adaptability of the cultivars in the Finnish environment. Neither trial winter was severe and the true wintering ability of the cultivars remains unclear.