Strawberry plant named ‘Driscoll Agoura’

Abstract

This invention relates to a new and distinct variety of strawberry named ‘Driscoll Agoura’. The variety is similar to the varieties ‘El Capitan’ and ‘San Miguel’. The variety is distinguished from ‘El Capitan’ and ‘San Miguel’, in particular, by its weak vigor, obtuse to slightly oblique terminal leaflet base, few stolons, dense stolon pubescence, flat fruiting truss at first picking, strong unevenness of fruit surface, and medium sweetness of the fruit.

Description

Latin name of the genus and species of the plant claimed: The variety is botanically identified as Fragaria×ananassa.

1. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The new variety originated as a result of a controlled cross between the strawberry plants ‘61C117’ (unpatented Driscoll variety) and ‘19A268’ (unpatented Driscoll variety) in an ongoing breeding program, and was discovered as a seedling in a controlled breeding plot in, Ventura County, Calif. in February, 1998. The original seedling of the new cultivar was asexually propagated by stolons at a nursery in Shasta County, Calif. Propagules were transplanted to a controlled breeding plot in Ventura County, Calif., where it was identified and selected for further evaluation. ‘Driscoll Agoura’ was subsequently asexually propagated and underwent further testing at various locations in Ventura County, Calif. for four years. This propagation and testing has demonstrated that the combination of traits disclosed herein which characterize the new variety are fixed and retained true to type through successive generations of asexual reproduction.

2. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of strawberry named ‘Driscoll Agoura’. The variety is botanically identified as Fragaria×ananassa. The new variety is distinguished from other varieties by a number of characteristics as set forth in Tables 1-6.

3. COMPARISON TO SIMILAR VARIETIES

The varieties which we believe to be similar to ‘Driscoll Agoura’ from those known to us are ‘El Capitan’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. P.P. 14,005 P3), and ‘San Miguel’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. P.P. 10,642, issued Oct. 13, 1998). There are several characteristics of the new variety that are different from, or not possessed by ‘El Capitan’, and ‘San Miguel’. The new variety has a weak vigor, obtuse to slightly oblique terminal leaflet base, few stolons, dense stolon pubescence, flat fruiting truss at first picking, strong unevenness of fruit surface, and medium sweetness of the fruit.

‘Driscoll Agoura’ differs from its parent ‘61C117’ (unpatented Driscoll variety) in several characteristics, including, but not limited to, having greater berry size and greater early season production. ‘Driscoll Agoura’ differs from its parent ‘19A268’ (unpatented Driscoll variety) in several characteristics, including, but not limited to, having less creaing on the primary berries.

4. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying photographs show typical specimens of the new variety, including fruit, foliage and flowers, in color as nearly true as it is reasonably possible to make in color illustrations of these characteristics. The plants of ‘Driscoll Agoura’ characterized in the botanical descriptions and depicted in the figures were grown outdoors in an annular production system. Measurements were taken during the spring in the second half of the production season, approximately seven months after planting.

FIG. 1 shows leaves of the plant with three leaflets.

FIG. 2 shows leaves of the plant with four leaflets.

FIG. 3 shows the upper side and under side of the flowers.

FIG. 4 shows a close-up of the strawberry.

FIG. 5 shows the strawberry in longitudinal cross-section.

5. DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW VARIETY

The following detailed description of the new variety is based upon observations taken of plants and fruit grown in Ventura County, Calif., U.S.A. Observations of ‘Driscoll Agoura’, ‘El Capitan’ and ‘San Miguel’ were taken in side by side comparison in 2002. This description is in accordance with UPOV terminology. Color designations, color descriptions, and other phenotypical descriptions may deviate from the stated values and descriptions depending upon variation in environmental, seasonal, climatic and cultural conditions. Colors are described and the most similar color designations are provided from The Royal Horticultural Society (R.H.S.) Colour Chart.

5.1 PROPAGATION

The new variety is principally propagated by way of stolons. Although propagation by stolons is presently preferred, other known methods of propagating strawberry plants may be employed.

5.2 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NEW VARIETY

Information on the new variety is presented in Tables 1, 2 and 3. In the tables, the flowers described are secondary flowers except where indicated. The fruit described is the secondary fruit on one year old plants. Fruit and flower measurements are an average of both primary and secondary fruit and flowers. In particular, the reproductive structures of ‘Driscoll Agoura’ are fully self-fertile and typical of the species. Anther color is yellow, 14A and receptacle color is 9A yellow.

Table 1 provides information on the plant and fruit characteristics of the new variety ‘Driscoll Agoura’ compared with characteristics of ‘El Capitan’ and ‘San Miguel’. Table 2 provides additional information of the plant and fruit characteristics of the new variety ‘Driscoll Agoura’ compared with characteristics of the varieties ‘El Capitan’ and ‘San Miguel’. Table 3 provides reactions of the new variety to stresses as compared to the varieties ‘El Capitan’ and ‘San Miguel’. Tables 4 and 5 provide information of the new variety's reaction to pests and diseases, respectively, compared to the varieties ‘El Capitan’ and ‘San Miguel’. Table 6 provides isozyme characteristics of the new variety as compared to the varieties ‘El Capitan’ and ‘San Miguel’.

TABLE 1
DETAILED COMPARISON OF ‘DRISCOLL AGOURA’,
‘EL CAPITAN’ AND ‘SAN MIGUEL’
	Driscoll
	Agoura	El Capitan	San Miguel
Plant Characteristics
Height of Plant (cm)	19.1	25.9	23.3
Spread of Plant (cm)	30.1	35.2	32.5
Number of Crowns	2.8	4.0	3.3
Leaf Characteristics
Terminal Leaflet Width (cm)	6.6	6.7	6.2
Terminal Leaflet Length (cm)	6.0	5.7	6.6
Terminal Leaflet	1.10	1.17	0.94
Length/Width Ratio
Number of Teeth/Terminal	22.0	17.1	23.3
Leaflet
Color of upper side of leaf	dark green	dark green	medium to
	147A	147A	dark green
			147A
Color of under side of leaf	light to	light to	light to
	medium	medium	medium
	green 138B	green 147C	green 138B
Petiole Length (cm)	15.5	19.0	17.1
Petiole color	149A	149A	149A
Bract Frequency	25%	8%	8%
	typically	typically	typically
	single	single	paired
Stipule Length (cm)	3.3	3.8	3.3
Stipule Width (cm)	1.1	1.1	1.1
Flower Characteristics
Petal Width (cm)	1.27	1.43	1.37
Petal Length (cm)	1.15	1.48	1.35
Petal Length/Width Ratio	1.10	0.97	1.01
Petal Color	155C	155C
Flower Diameter (cm)	2.26	2.75	2.65
Calyx Diameter (cm)	3.44	3.75	2.90
Fruit Characteristics
Fruit Width (cm)	4.09	4.59	4.67
Fruit Length (cm)	3.97	4.01	4.18
Fruit Length/Width Ratio	1.03	1.14	1.12
Average Berry Size (g)	25.7	23.0	24.0
Fruit Skin Color	dark red 53A	dark red 53A	dark red 53A
Fruit Flesh Color	orange red	red 43A	dark red
	41A		45A
Average % brix	7.92	7.68	7.24
Brix/Acid Ratio	10.12	9.70	9.51
Achene Coloration	dark red to	dark red to	dark red to
	yellow	yellow green	yellow green
	59A to 151A	60A to 151A	53A to 151B
Total Yield (g/plant)	621	665	650

TABLE 2
CHARACTERISTICS OF ‘DRISCOLL AGOURA’,
‘EL CAPITAN’ AND ‘SAN MIGUEL’
	Driscoll
	Agoura	El Capitan	San Miguel
Plant
Habit	flat globose	globose	flat globose
Density	open	medium dense	open
Vigor	weak	medium	medium
Leaf
Shape in cross	slightly	slightly	concave
section	concave to flat	concave
Interveinal	strong	strong	strong
blistering
Glossiness	medium	strong	strong
Number of	more than 3	three only	three only
leaflets	leaflets on
	approx. 17%
	of leaves
Terminal leaflet	flat	flat	flat to revolute
margin profile
Terminal leaflet	obtuse to	rounded	rounded
shape of base	slightly
	oblique
Terminal leaflet	rounded	obtuse	rounded
shape of teeth
Stipule	sparse	sparse to	sparse
pubescence		medium
Petiole	dense	dense	sparse to
pubescence			medium
Petiole pose	outwards	outward to	outward
of hairs		downward
Stolon
Number	few	many	many
Anthocyanin	weak to	medium to	weak to
coloration	medium	strong	medium
Thickness	medium thick	thin	thin to medium
Pubescence	dense	sparse to	sparse to
		medium	medium
Inflorescence
Position relative	above	above	above
to foliage
Diameter of	larger	larger	larger
calyx relative to
corolla
Diameter of	same size	smaller to	same size
inner calyx		same size
relative to outer
Spacing of petals	overlapping	overlapping	overlapping
Fruiting Truss
Attitude at first	Flat	prostrate	prostrate
picking
Average Length	12.3	18.4	17.4
(cm)
Fruit
Predominant	wedged to	cordate	conical to
shape	cordate		cylindrical
Difference in	marked,	marked	moderate
shapes between	primaries are
primary and	more creased
secondary fruits
Bands without	very narrow	very narrow	very narrow
achenes
Unevenness of	strong	weak to	weak to
surface		medium	medium
Evenness of	slightly	slightly	even
color	uneven	uneven to even
Glossiness	strong	strong	medium
Insertion of	level with	below to level	below surface
achenes	surface	with the
		surface
Insertion of	set above fruit	in a basin to	set above
calyx		level
Pose of the calyx	reflexed	reflexed	spreading to
segments			reflexed
Size of calyx in	smaller to	larger	same size
relation to fruit	same size
Adherence of	weak to	strong	strong
calyx	medium
Firmness of flesh	firm	firm	firm
Evenness of	slightly	even	even
flesh color	uneven
Distribution of	marginal and	marginal and	marginal and
flesh color	central	central	central
Hollow center	medium	large	medium
size
Sweetness	medium	strong	strong
Texture when	medium	fine	fine
tasted
Acidity	medium	medium	medium
Time of	mid-December	mid-December	early-January
Flowering
Harvest Interval	late-January to	late-January to	early-February
	mid-June	mid-June	to mid-June
Type of Bearing	partially	partially	partially
	everbearing	everbearing	everbearing

5.3 REACTION TO STRESS

	TABLE 3
	Driscoll
	Agoura	El Capitan	San Miguel
Reaction to Stress
high pH	moderately	moderately	moderately
	resistant	resistant	resistant
high soil salt levels	moderately	moderately	moderately
	resistant	resistant	resistant

5.4 PEST AND DISEASE RESISTANCE AND SUSCEPTIBILITY

	TABLE 4
	Driscoll Agoura	El Capitan	San Miguel
Reaction to Pests
Tetranychus urticae	moderately	moderately	moderately
	resistant	resistant	resistant
Lygus hesperus	susceptible	susceptible	susceptible

	TABLE 5
	Driscoll Agoura	El Capitan	San Miguel
Reaction to
Diseases
Botrytis fruit rot	moderately	moderately	moderately
	susceptible	susceptible	susceptible
Powdery mildew	moderately	moderately	moderately resistant
	resistant	resistant
Verticillium wilt	susceptible	susceptible	susceptible
Strawberry Mottle	moderately	moderately	moderately resistant
Virus	resistant	resistant
Xanthomonas	moderately	moderately	moderately
fragariae	susceptible	susceptible	susceptible

5.5 ISOZYME ANALYSIS

In addition to the morphological description above, the new cultivar ‘Driscoll Agoura’ has been analyzed to obtain an indication of its genetic makeup to provide further means for identifying the new variety and distinguishing it from some other somewhat similar and/or related strawberry varieties. Specifically, leaf samples of ‘Driscoll Agoura’, ‘El Capitan’ and ‘San Miguel’ were analyzed by electrophoresis for isozyme patterns of the enzymes phosphoglucoisomeras (PGI), lecuine aminopeptidase (LAP) and phosphoglucomutase (PGM). See J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 106:684-687. Isozyme characterization of the three varieties is presented in Table 4, with the letters representing the banding patterns for each enzyme as designated in the above-identified article.

TABLE 6
ISOZYME ANALYSIS FOR ‘DRISCOLL AGOURA’,
‘EL CAPITAN’ AND ‘SAN MIGUEL’
		Driscoll
	Locus	Agoura	El Capitan	San Miguel
	PGI	A4	A4	A2
	LAP	B3	B3	B3
	PGM	C2	C2	C4

Claims

1. A new and distinct variety of strawberry plant, substantially as shown and described.