'Amiga' strawberry

Abstract

‘Amiga’ is a short-day strawberry cultivar developed by the Spanish public breeding program. ‘Amiga’ has a very high fruit firmness, high production, long fruit shape, and good appearance. An agronomic and sensory characterization of this new cultivar, in comparison with the well-adapted cultivars Camarosa, Carisma, Marina and Medina, was undertaken during the 2000 and 2001 crop seasons. Most strawberries produced in Spain are shipped fresh to destinations throughout Europe. Growers therefore need cultivars producing fruit that, in addition to attractiveness and top-class sensory attributes, ensures maintenance of quality after long-distance shipment. During the crop season 2006, a total of 58.3% of the total strawberry output at Huelva (312,066 t) was shipped fresh to market (Anonymous, 2006). The main destinations were Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. As a result of the economic and social significance of strawberry production in Spain, which is currently the leading European producer of fresh-market strawberries (López-Aranda et al., 2003), a number of public institutions, including the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agrarias (INIA), the Instituto de Investigacio´n y Formacio´n Agraria y Pesquera (IFAPA), and the Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA), are carrying out a breeding program to develop new strawberry cultivars well adapted to growing conditions in Spanish production areas, and particularly in Huelva. ‘Amiga’ is the latest cultivar released from this program in cooperation with the private partner, Viveros California, S.L. Previous cultivars released include ‘Andana’ (Bartual et al., 1997), ‘Carisma’ (Bartual et al., 2002), ‘Marina’ (López-Aranda et al., 2004), ‘Medina’ (López-Aranda et al., 2005a), and ‘Aguedilla’ (López-Aranda et al., 2005b). The new short-day strawberry (Fragaria · ananassa Duch.) cultivar Amiga is remarkable for its very high firmness, high production in annual production systems, long fruit shape, and good appearance. Its harvest season is early, which is extremely important for economic production on the southwest coast of Spain, and its firmness is essential for long-distance shipment.