plant named ‘YUKAGUYA’

Abstract

This new strawberry plant ‘YUKAGUYA’ has plant growth habit in upright, high plant height, large leaf, long petiole, medium to many flowers per Inflorescence, medium to large flower diameter, large to very large fruit, conical fruit shape, vivid reddish orange fruit color, firm fruit, vivid reddish orange flesh, early fruit ripening, high to very high soluble solid contents, low to medium acidity, and highly resistant to Colletotrichum fragariae.

Description

Common name: Strawberry.

Botanical classification: Fragaria L.

Variety denomination: ‘YUKAGUYA’.

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW VARIETY

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Strawberry, Fragaria L., which has been given the variety denomination ‘YUKAGUYA’.

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

The parent varieties are ‘12164-02’ (female parent) (not patented), and ‘KUMAMOTO VS03’ (male parent) (PVP granted in Japan, No. 25,611), respectively.

The variety was developed and propagated in Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan.

The variety was reproduced asexually by vegetative reproduction, also in Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan.

In 2016, The parent varieties were crossed, the resulting seeds were sown, and the grown individuals were selected.

In 2022, The line selection and performance test were carried out.

In 2024, The selected line 16073-01 were confirmed to have high fruit hardness, relatively high yields, and early maturity. Furthermore, growing tests were conducted in a plant factory with artificial light, and the excellent fruit quality and yields confirmed its suitability for cultivation in plant factory.

In 2025, the variety was named ‘YUKAGUYA’ and PVP application No. 37,886 was filed on Feb. 19, 2025, in the Plant Variety Protection Office in Japan.

Growing the variety does not require special conditions or treatments.

The variety is currently mainly intended for fruit production.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

This new strawberry plant ‘YUKAGUYA’ has plant growth habit in upright, high plant height, large leaf, long petiole, medium to many flowers per Inflorescence, medium to large flower diameter, large to very large fruit, conical fruit shape, vivid reddish orange fruit color, firm fruit, vivid reddish orange flesh, early fruit ripening, high to very high soluble solid contents, low to medium acidity, highly resistant to Colletotrichum fragariae.

Specifically, Table 1 below shows a comparison between the instant variety ‘YUKAGUYA’ and the comparative variety ‘TOCHIOTOME’ (PVP granted in Japan, No. 5248).

TABLE 1
Comparison between ‘YUKAGUYA’ and ‘TOCHIOTOME’
		Reference variety	Present variety
		‘TOCHIOTOME’	‘YUKAGUYA’
No.	Characteristics	States	States
9	Leaf: size	medium (135.5 cm2)	large (157.8 cm2)
19	Petiole: length	short (10.4 cm)	long (20.5 cm)
35	Fruit: size	medium to	large to very
		large (15.5 g)	large (20.3 g)
45	Fruit: position	deep below	level with
	of achenes	surface	surface

Table 2 below shows a comparison between the instant variety ‘YUKAGUYA’ and the comparative variety ‘KOIMINORI’ (PVP granted in Japan, No. 28183).

TABLE 2
Comparison between ‘YUKAGUYA’ and ‘KOIMINORI’
		Reference variety	Present variety
		‘KOIMINORI’	‘YUKAGUYA’
No.	Characteristics	States	States
53	Fruit: color	white (RHS	vivid reddish
	of flesh	NN155D)	orange (RHS 33B)
57	Time of	medium	early (November 29)
	beginning of	(December 19)
	fruit ripening

Further, Table 3 below shows a comparison between the instant variety ‘YUKAGUYA’ and its female parent ‘12164-02’:

TABLE 3
Comparison between ‘YUKAGUYA’ and ‘12164-02’
		Female parent	Present variety
		variety ‘12164-02’	‘YUKAGUYA’
No.	Characteristics	States	States
19	Petiole: length	short (13.9 cm)	long (23.1 cm)
22	Inflorescence:	medium	many
	number of	(7.5/plant)	(14.0/plant)
	flowers
52	Fruit: firmness	medium	very firm
		(1.7N/3 mmφ)	(2.4N/3 mmφ)
60	Fruit: acidity	high (0.66%)	low (0.34%)

Further, Table 4 below shows a comparison between the instant variety ‘YUKAGUYA’ and its male parent ‘KUMAMOTO VS03’:

TABLE 4
Comparison between ‘YUKAGUYA’ and ‘KUMAMOTO VS03’
		Male parent
		variety
		‘KUMAMOTO	Present variety
		VS03’	‘YUKAGUYA’
No.	Characteristics	States	States
2	Plant: density of foliage	dense	medium
17	Terminal leaflet: size	large	medium
24	Stipule: anthocyanin	weak to	medium to
	coloration	medium	strong
34	Fruit: size	medium to	large to very
		large	large
44	Fruit: width of band	narrow	absent or very
	without achenes		narrow
52	Fruit: adherence of calyx	medium	medium
60	Fruit: soluble solids	medium to	high to very
	content	high	high

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings, which are as nearly true as is reasonable possible to make in a color illustration of this type:

FIG. 1 is a color photograph showing a general view of an illustrative Strawberry plant of the variety named ‘YUKAGUYA’ bearing fruits; the age of the plant was 101 days after transplanting seedlings into the greenhouse.

FIG. 2 is a color photograph showing leaves of ‘YUKAGUYA’, ‘KOIMINORI’ and ‘TOCHIOTOME’.

FIG. 3 is a color photograph showing fruits of ‘YUKAGUYA’ (left: fruit appearance, middle: longitudinal section, right: cross section).

FIG. 4 is a color photograph showing fruits of ‘YUKAGUYA’, ‘KOIMINORI’ and ‘TOCHIOTOME’ (left: fruit appearance, middle: longitudinal section, right: cross section).

Due to chemical and/or digital development, processing and printing, the plants or portions of plants depicted in the photographs may or may not be precisely accurate, when compared to the actual botanical specimens.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Table 3 below shows the botanical description of the ‘YUKAGUYA’ plants evaluated from 2022 to 2024 (including the comparison with the reference plant ‘TOCHIOTOME’ and ‘KOIMINORI’). The values provided are averages. The location of the plants evaluated was Kurume-city, Fukuoka, Japan.

The ‘YUKAGUYA’ plants shown on the photographs were grown at Kuruma-city, Fukuoka, Japan. The plants were grown at elevated bed in green house. The age of the plants were 101-124 days after transplanting seedlings into the greenhouse. The plants were photographed on Jan. 4, 2024, the leaves were photographed on Apr. 18, 2024, and the fruits were photographed on Apr. 9, 2024.

Colors are given according to The R.H.S. (Royal Horticultural Society) Colour Chart, Sixth edition, 2019 reprint.

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

TABLE 5
Botanical description of ‘YUKAGUYA’
No.	Characteristics	Descriptions	Values
1.	Plant: growth habit	upright
2.	Plant: density of foliage	medium
3.	Plant: vigor	medium to strong
4.	Plant: number of axillary	medium	2.9
	buds
5.	Plant: position of	same level
	inflorescence in relation
	to foliage
6.	Plant: number of stolons	medium	12.0
7.	Stolon: anthocyanin	weak
	coloration
8.	Stolon: density of	medium
	pubescence
9.	Flowering runners	absent
10.	Leaf: size	large	157.8	cm2
11.	Leaf: length		20.3	cm
12.	Leaf: width		8.2	cm
13.	Leaf: color of upper side	moderate green	RHS 135B
14.	Leaf: blistering	absent or weak
15.	Leaf: glossiness	medium
16.	Leaf: variegation	absent
17.	Terminal leaflet: size	medium	77.7	cm2
18.	Terminal leaflet: length in	moderately longer	1.26
	relation to width
19.	Terminal leaflet: shape of	acute
	base
20.	Terminal leaflet: margin	serrate to crenate
21.	Terminal leaflet: shape in	concave
	cross section
22.	Petiole: length	long	20.5	cm
23.	Petiole: attitude of hairs	horizontal
24.	Stipule: anthocyanin	medium to strong
	coloration
25.	Inflorescence: number of	medium to many	13.6
	flowers
26.	Peduncle: length	long	16.8	cm
27.	Pedicel: attitude of hairs	slightly outwards
28.	Flower: diameter	medium to large	2.9	cm
29.	Flower: arrangement of	overlapping
	petals
30.	Flower: size of calyx in	same size
	relation to corolla
31.	Flower: stamen	present
32.	Petal: length in relation to	equal	1.05
	width
33.	Petal: color of upper side	white	RHS
			NN155C
34.	Fruit: size	large to very large	23.2	g
35.	Fruit: length		4.0	cm
36.	Fruit: width		3.3	cm
37.	Fruit: length in relation to	moderately longer	1.30
	width
38.	Fruit: shape	conical
39.	Fruit: difference in shape	slight to moderate
	of terminal and other
	fruits
40.	Fruit: color	vivid reddish	RHS 40B
		orange
41.	Fruit: evenness of color	even or very
		slightly
42.	Fruit: glossiness	strong
43.	Fruit: evenness of surface	even or very
		slightly
44.	Fruit: width of band	absent or very
	without achenes	narrow
45.	Fruit: neck	absent
46.	Fruit: position of achenes	level with surface
47.	Fruit: density of achenes	medium
48.	Fruit: anthocyanin	weak
	coloration of achenes
49.	Fruit: position of calyx	level with fruit
	attachment
50.	Fruit: attitude of sepals	outwards
51.	Fruit: diameter of calyx in	same size
	relation to diameter of
	fruit
52.	Fruit: adherence of calyx	medium
53.	Fruit: firmness	firm to very firm	2.7 n/3 mm
54.	Fruit: color of flesh	vivid reddish	RHS 33B
	(excluding core)	orange
55.	Fruit: color of core	vivid reddish	RHS 33B
		orange
56.	Fruit: cavity	absent or small
57.	Time of beginning of	early	October 31
	flowering
58.	Time of beginning of	early	November
	fruit ripening		29
59.	Type of bearing	not remontant
60.	Fruit: soluble solids	high to very high	10.6 Brix
	content
61.	Fruit: acidity	low to medium	0.55%
62.	Dormant period	short
63.	Resistance to	highly resistant
	Colletotrichum
	fructicola (Nara-gc-d) or
	Colletotrichum sp. GC-7
64.	Resistance to Fusarium	moderately
	oxysporum f. sp. fragariae	resistant

Other features of the plant are as follows:

Growing tests were conducted in a plant factory with artificial light, comparing this variety with existing varieties. The new variety was found to be suitable for cultivation in a plant factory, as it had a higher sugar content in its fruit than other existing varieties, had excellent yields, and had a low incidence of deformed fruit.

Claims

1. A new and distinct variety of Fragaria L. plant named ‘YUKAGUYA’, substantially as described and illustrated herein.