`Snow White´ TM (hansawhit(S) - a new strawberry cultivar with white fruits
Introduction The cultivation history of white-fruited strawberries is much older than that of red cultivars of Fragaria ×ananassa Duch. Fragaria chiloensis f. chiloensis (L.) Miller with white or pale pink fruits is cultivated for hundreds of years in Chile and Peru and was introduced to Europe in 1714. It became an ancestor of the cultivated Fragaria ×ananassa Duch. together with Fragaria virginiana Miller from North America which had been cultivated in Europe since 1623. White cultivars were always interesting for cultivation. The cultivar Fragaria ×ananassa `Weisse Ananas´, bred in 1867, survived in house gardens and germplasm collections due to its fruit colour and its fresh-fruity taste. Meanwhile, white cultivars are attractive for European strawberry production as a niche product, in particular, for the gourmet fruit sector.
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Traditional Chilean cultivation of Vulcano Villarica (2.840 m) Fragaria chiloensis f. patagonica Staudt Accession from nature near a settlement `Lucida perfecta´ 1861 `Weisse Ananas´ 1867 Fragaria chiloensis f. chiloensis accession from the vulcano Villarica, close to the vulcano Villarica: escape or Foto: Jorge Retamales found at 1.200 m above sea level leftover from cultivation.
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`Snow White´ was selected as seedling in 2010 out from a population of Fragaria ×ananassa `Weisse Ananas´ × clone numbers which arose from Chilean land- races of Fragaria chiloensis f. chiloensis. `Snow White´ is a white-fruited strawberry and currently under application for European Plant Breeders´ Rights 2013 under the registration number 2013/1478. `Snow White´ is winter hardy, more vigorous than the old white-fruited cultivar `Weisse Ananas´, highly tolerant to powdery mildew and other leaf diseases as well as tolerant to Verticillium wilt, Phytophthora crown rot, Xanthomonas and Botrytis.
yield per plant [g] 200
180 Flair 160 140 Sonata 1: `Weisse Ananas´, 2: `Snow White´, 120 Weiße Ananas 3: `Redgauntlet´, 4: `Mieze Schindler´, 100 5: `Elegance´, 6: `Alba´, 7: `Charlotte´, Snow White 80 8: `Evie 2´, 9: `Polka´, 60 10: `Mara de Bois´,
40 11: `Florika´
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0 13.6 14.6 15.6 16.6 17.6 18.6 19.6 20.6 21.6 22.6 23.6 24.6 25.6 26.6 27.6 28.6 29.6 30.6 10.7 11.7 12.7 13.7 14.7 15.7 16.7 17.7 18.7 19.7 1.7 2.7 3.7 4.7 5.7 6.7 7.7 8.7 9.7 date of harvest (A)* A preliminary consumer study revealed a high acceptance of the new cultivar. A pleasant mouth feeling was mentioned, in particular. All the consumers pointed out the outstanding fresh-fruity impression which they had not recognized for any red-fruited strawberry cultivar.This result can be supported by the volatile analysis (Headspace-SPME*). `Weisse Ananas´ and `Snow White´ are rich in terpenoid compounds. Some unidentified high volatile substances are discriminating white-fruited against red-fruited cultivars. After data processing using PCA representing volatile data of 144 compounds the discrimination of cultivars is obvious: white-fruited cultivars are clearly separated from the red-fruited Fragaria ×ananassa cultivars and from the Fragaria ×vescana cultivar `Florika´ ((A): Olbricht, K.; Gerischer, U.; Ludwig, A.; Ulrich, D.; Casas, B.; Darbonne, A.; Kraege, S.; Obers, H.; Vissers, A.; Walpole, P.; Walpole, S. (2013): `Snow White´, a new strawberry cultivar with white fruits. International Strawberry Congress 2013, Book of Abstracts: 35, *analysis by Dr. Detlef Ulrich, JKI Quedlinburg).
White-fruited strawberries can be distinguished from red-fruited cultivars by sensory evaluation and volatile analyses. The breeding level of white cultivars is behind the development of red cultivars in terms of yield, fruit size, firmness and shelf life. Therefore, positive characteristics like the attractive white fruit colour, flavour and tolerance to Botrytis should be transferred to future selections by cross-breeding with F. ×ananassa. In this perspective, `Snow White´, a new cultivar, applied for European Plant Breeders Rights, exhibits improved traits.