The University of California, Davis has new strawberry varieties available that are resistant to Fusarium wilt. Breeder and field manager with the Strawberry Breeding Program, Glenn Cole said the new “short-day” varieties are UC Surfline and UC Monarch. Cole noted that these would most likely serve growers in the Oxnard, Ventura, and Santa Maria areas. On top of fusarium resistance, the two varieties are also shown to be resistant to Verticillium wilt and Phytophthora crown rot.
Cole explained that most growers have traditionally grown “day-neutral” varieties, such as a UC variety called Monterey. About 60 percent of strawberry acreage is “day-neutral” varieties. However, these varieties such as Monterey are susceptible to fusarium and growers are taking significant losses from the disease. Cole said two of the new strawberry varieties that are resistant to fusarium should offer growers a viable option for Fall planting.
“We have UC Keystone and UC Golden Gate as the two new ‘day-neutral’ varieties that will have fusarium resistance,” Cole explained. “Golden Gate is a little earlier. Earlier varieties can have a greater value in the Santa Maria market because it comes on a little bit earlier than the northern district of Watsonville and Salinas. The Keystone variety is a more traditional ‘day-neutral’ that comes on a little bit later.”
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