Strawberry plant named `Seascape`
`Seascape` is a day-neutral type strawberry variety similar to `Selva` but with a somewhat lower chilling requirement. It is noteworthy for high flavor, high yield, large fruit size, firmness, symmetry, attractive appearance and general flexibility in planting requirements.
Latest The Regents of the University of California Patents:
This invention relates to a new and distinctive day-neutral type strawberry cultivar designated as `Seascape` which is the result of a cross between `Selva` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,266).times.`Douglas` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,487), made in 1983.
`Seascape` first fruited at the University of California Wolfskill Experimental Orchards near Davis, Calif. in 1984, where it was selected and designated originally as Cal 83.49-1. It was tested later as advanced selection CN 49.
`Seascape` has been propagated asexually by runners and has been tested at various University of California field stations and research facilities and to a very limited extent in a few growers' fields under Test Agreement .
In the photographs:
FIG. 1 shows typical growth, flowering and fruiting characteristics of the plant.
FIG. 2 shows a typical midsummer mature leaf from a plant in full fruit.
FIG. 3 shows representative early-season fruit with longitudinal and cross-sectional views.
`Seascape` commences fruiting about three months after planting, whether fresh dug or cold storage plants are used, regardless of planting time, provided that satisfactory growing conditions prevail. `Seascape` is about as strongly day-neutral as `Selva` or `Muir` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,558), considerably less strong than `Irvine` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. pending), `Hecker` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,507) or `Fern` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,267). The difference is most evident in the nursery where only the mother and first daughter plants of `Seascape` and `Selva` and to a greater extent `Muir` tend to flower and fruit strongly, whereas most of the daughter plants of `Hecker` and `Fern` and to a somewhat lesser extent `Irvine` do so. Thus, ranking them in order of the tendency for plants to flower in the nursery, the order would be: `Hecker` `Fern`, `Irvine`, `Muir`, `Selva` and `Seascape`. All are heterozygous for the day-neutral trait.
`Seascape` is of particular interest for winter and summer plantings in situations where `Selva` is used successfully.
Plants and FoliageFruiting `Seascape` plants are about as erect in growth habit as those of `Selva`. Foliar characteristics from mid-summer 1988 central coast grown fruiting plants of `Seascape` are compared with those of `Irvine`, `Muir`, `Selva`, and `Fern` in Table 1.
TABLE 1
______________________________________
Seascape Irvine Muir Selva Fern
______________________________________
Munsell 2.5GY43 7.5GY4/ 2.5GY4/
7.5GY4/
7.5GY4/
Color 4 3 4 4
Shape 1.19 1.10 1.02 1.10 1.14
(length/
width)
Base angle
48.degree.
53.degree.
60.degree.
55.degree.
50.degree.
of terminal
leaflet
Size of 76 76 84 81 76
terminal
leaflets
Serrations
11.4 9.4 11.2 11.2 12.0
of terminal
leaflets
Petiolule
13 6.6 6.6 10.4 6.4
length
(MM)
Petiole 206 150 137 152 154
length
(MM)
______________________________________
As shown above `Seascape` leaves are about the same color as those of `Muir`, darker and less yellow than those of `Irvine` or `Selva` (Munsell Color System--Nickerson Color Fan). Terminal leaflets are somewhat similar in shape to those of `Irvine` but a little longer and less round than those of `Muir` as shown by the length/width measurement and half-blade terminal leaflet basal angle. `Seascape` terminal leaflets are about the same size as those of `Irvine`, smaller than those of `Muir` or `Selva` as determined by extracting the square root of the length.times.width measurement. Terminal leaflet serration numbers are about the same as those for all the comparison cultivars except `Irvine` which has less. The terminal leaflet petiolules of `Seascape` are much longer than those of `Muir` or `Irvine` and somewhat longer than those of `Selva`. `Seascape` plants are larger than those of `Selva`, `Muir` or `Irvine` as indicated by petiole length. Bract leaflets are common on `Seascape` petioles, similar to `Muir` and `Selva`, in contrast to being rare on `Irvine`. Runner production in nursery plants of `Seascape` is quite good, about equal or better than for `Selva` and `Muir`.
Lysozymes in Leaf Extracts`Seascape` has been classified for three enzyme systems by starch gel electrophoresis: A. Phosphoglucoisomerase (PGl); B. Leucine Amino Peptidase (LAP); and C. Phosphoglucomutase (PGM); and the results are compared with those for other day-neutral California cultivars in Table 2.
TABLE 2
______________________________________
Seascape & Fern
Irvine Muir Selva
______________________________________
PGI A4 A3 A2 H2
LAP B3 B1 B1 B3
PGM C2 C1 C2 C2
______________________________________
Hecker Aptos & Brighton
Mrak Yolo
______________________________________
PGI A1 A4 A1 A1
LAP B1 B3 B3 B1
PGM C4 C4 C2 C2
______________________________________
Thus, the `Seascape` with the pattern (A4, B3 and C2) is identical to that of `Fern` and short-day type `Parker` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,263) but can be distinguished from all other U.C. day-neutrals and short-day types. For the procedure, see: J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 106:687-1981.
Disease and Pest Reaction`Seascape` is highly resistant to (tolerant of) the virus diseases common in California including "Mild Yellow Edge" and complexes containing it, moderately susceptible to common leaf spot (Ramularia), and is somewhat susceptible to the two-spotted mite.
Flowering, Fruiting, Fruit and Production Characteristics`Seascape` is similar to California day-neutral cultivars `Selva` and `Muir` in that with a minimum of conditioning, it will flower and fruit anytime, effectively independent of day length. Flowers are borne on long, relatively thick peduncles, about as erect as those of `Selva`, less erect than those of `Muir` and much less than those of `Irvine`. The flowers have large petals averaging about six. The sepals are particularly large and attractive. `Seascape` is self-fertile providing ample pollen throughout the season and pollination is generally good as relatively few malformed fruit form.
`Seascape` is capable of yielding about as much or more than other high-yielding day-neutral and short-day type cultivars and the fruit size is as large or larger on the average than that of `Selva` (Tables 3, and 4). `Seascape` plants are vigorous and have a little less of a chilling requirement than those of `Selva` and can probably be planted earlier than `Selva` with favorable results. Size varies considerably on `Seascape` as the season advances or environmental conditions change but there is usually a high percentage of large fruit.
`Seascape` fruit shape is characteristically medium to occasionally long conic. The fruit of `Seascape` is very firm, almost equal to `Selva`, `Irvine` and `Oso Grande` as measured by the penetrometer equipped with a "Hunter Force Gauge" and it stores and ships about as well as `Selva` (Tables 3 and 4). The fruit is usually solid throughout.
`Seascape` fruit quality characteristics (ascorbic acid, soluble solids, titratable acid and color) are compared with those of `Chandler`, `Douglas`, `Irvine`, `Oso Grande`, and `Selva` in Table 5, from plants grown under optimum conditions under the "hill" system in winter plantings at the University of California Strawberry Research Facility, Watsonville.
TABLE 3
______________________________________
Comparing the 1988 harvest of `Seascape` over eight winter
plantings and the 1989 harvest over four with those of appropriate
cultivars at Watsonville. Means with the same letter not
significantly different (5%).
TOT.
YLD. SIZE FIRM AP PERF*
ITEM G/PL G/FR PENET SCORE SCORE
______________________________________
1988 Harvest
Seascape 1381 a 24.6 a 7.6 a 3.8 a 38.1 a
Fern 1381 a 20.0 c 6.1 d 3.1 cd 31.4 cd
Irvine 1309 a 21.6 b 7.8 a 3.2 c 33.1 bc
Selva 1305 a 22.3 b 7.8 a 3.3 d 33.4 bc
Muir 1090 bc 21.6 b 7.2 b 3.1 cd 29.9 de
Mrak 1081 bc 17.6 d 6.5 c 3.0 d 29.9 e
Yolo 938 c 19.3 e 7.1 b 3.0 d 27.2 e
1989 Harvest
Seascape 1951 a 26.3 a 6.1 bc 3.9 a 40.4 b
Oso Grande
1788 ab 26.9 a 6.6 a 3.1 c 38.4 bc
Irvine 1710 ab 21.8 ab 6.5 abc
2.9 de 35.4 cd
Selva 1528 b 22.6 b 6.6 ab 3.1 cd 34.3 d
Muir 1523 b 22.1 b 6.0 c 2.9 e 33.2 d
Chandler 1491 b 25.6 a 5.3 d 3.4 b 34.2 d
______________________________________
Performance Score =-
##STR1##
TABLE 4
______________________________________
Comparing the 1987 harvest of `Seascape` with that of 3 standard
short-day type cultivars and 3 day-neutral cultivars in a summer
planting made at Watsonville 3 Sept. 86.
______________________________________
GPL BY 6 WKS ENDING
TOT YLD
CULTIVAR 5/6 6/17 7/29 9/16 G/PL
______________________________________
Chandler 436 917 576 297 2227
Oso Grande
500 638 241 177 1559
Pajaro 423 621 300 202 1548
Seascape 655 625 590 291 2133
Muir 359 596 332 232 1521
Selva 417 522 266 219 1425
Yolo 451 311 166 105 1034
______________________________________
TOT.
YLD SIZE FIRM. AP. PERF.*
CULTIVAR S.D. G/FR PENET SCORE SCORE
______________________________________
Chandler 255 16.5 4.7 3.1 37
Oso Grande
49 20.5 6.3 2.9 32
Pajaro 85 19.8 5.2 3.1 32
Seascape 7 19.1 5.1 3.5 38
Muir 36 22.3 5.4 3.1 33
Selva 287 22.1 6.0 3.1 32
Yolo 17 19.2 4.9 3.5 26
______________________________________
*Performance Score =-
##STR2##
TABLE 5
______________________________________
Fruit quality measurement and color, Watsonville 8 May 1989.
Means with same letter not significantly different (5%)
ASCORBIC SOL TIT.
ACID SOLIDS ACID
CULTIVAR mg/100 g % % COLOR
______________________________________
Chandler 51 a 7.3 a 0.69 b 5R4/12
Seascape 46 b 7.0 ab 0.74 b 2.5R4/10
Douglas 43 bc 6.8 b 0.72 b 6R4/12
Irvine 41 cd 6.9 ab 0.66 bc
7R5/14
Oso Grande
40 cd 5.7 c 0.52 d 7.5R4.5/11
Selva 33 e 7.1 ab 0.59 cd
7R4/11
______________________________________
`Seascape` fruit averaged almost as high in ascorbic acid content as `Chandler`, as high as `Douglas` and higher than `Irvine`, `Oso Grande` and `Selva` as measured by the Loeffler and Ponting method (1942, J. Indust. and Engin. Chem. 14:846). The fruit of `Seascape` is relatively high in soluble solids and titratable acid (ibid). The fruit skin color is redder than that of all of the comparison cultivars inside and out. The finish is bright and attractive. The flesh color is about the same as that of the skin. The achenes are bright yellow to slightly reddish, positioned about flush to slightly exerted relative to the skin surface (ibid).
The flavor of `Seascape` fruit is exceptional, better than that of `Selva` or `Irvine`. The fruit is recommended for fresh market and processing, for commercial planting and home gardening, particularly where `off season` fruiting is desirable. The only cultivars that `Seascape` resembles closely in performance are `Selva` and `Muir` and consequently it is of interest wherever they are currently grown.
Claims
1. The new and distinct variety of strawberry plant herein described and illustrated and identified by the characteristics enumerated above.
Type: Grant
Filed: Feb 13, 1990
Date of Patent: Aug 6, 1991
Assignee: The Regents of the University of California (Berkeley, CA)
Inventors: Royce S. Bringhurst (Davis, CA), Victor Voth (Santa Ana, CA)
Primary Examiner: James R. Feyrer
Law Firm: Townsend and Townsend
Application Number: 7/479,499
International Classification: A01H 508;
