Promising Strawberry Tree Genotypes from North Anatolia, Turkey

Abstract

Anatolia is one of the primary centers of origin of strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L.). Pomological and morphological characteristics of strawberry tree genotypes, naturally growing in natural flora of Northern Anatolia, were investigated in this study in 2008 and 2009. In 2008, 48 genotypes were identified and subjected to physico-chemical analyses (fruit weight, fruit length and width, soluble solids content, titratable acidity), phenological observations (initial-bloom and full-bloom dates) and sensory analyses (fruit taste, stoniness, juiciness, appearance and roughness). Based on weighted-ranked scores for different attributes, 24 genotypes were selected as promising ones and analyses were continued on these genotypes in 2009. Fruit weights of genotypes varied between 2.28 g (28G32) and 11.00 g (28G41); fruit widths between 16.51 mm (28G32)–28.05 mm (28G41); fruit lengths between 13.06 mm (28G26) and 22.03 mm (28G41); soluble solids contents between 24% (28G28, 28G40) and 31% (28G30) and titratable acidity between 0.77% (28G30) and 1.19% (28G41). Initial-bloom dates varied between 5th of October (28G36, 28G45 and 28G46) and 10th of November (28G16 and 28G26) and full-bloom dates varied between 15th of November (28G02, 28G31, 28G36, 28G47) and 15th of December (28G02, 28G44, 28G45). These 24 genotypes were selected as promising genotypes potentially to be used in breeding studies on strawberry tree fruits.