Dry matter in Fragaria fruit: a new breeding goal

A new breeding goal for processing strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) is a high dry matter content (DM) of the fruit. This trait becomes relevant due to the increasing importance of the fruit drying industry. In this study, a systematic investigation on strawberry fruit DM is presented. A screening of 97 Fragaria genotypes has revealed a range from 7.5% to 18.5% DM. The present processing cultivars of North America (‘Hood’ and ‘Totem’) and Europe (‘Senga Sengana’) are characterised by intermediate levels of DM. The existence of several F. × ananassa genotypes with higher DM in the investigated gene pool and results obtained from F1 populations demonstrate the potential to breed higher DM cultivars by cross-combination. Information about the variability of this quantitative trait is also of crucial importance. Therefore, DM has been investigated over several pickings and single fruit analysis has been performed. From the variability obtained, conclusions for proper evaluation and selection work can be drawn.