Russian breeders develop variety of garden strawberry characterised by winter hardiness and high yield

Staff at the Federal Horticultural Centre for Breeding, Agrotechnology, and Nursery (FSBSO ARHCBAN) in Moscow have developed a new variety of garden strawberry based on domestic breeding programmes, which is fully adapted to the variable natural and climatic conditions of central Russia. This was reported on the website of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science.

This variety of strawberry produces large berries with a dessert-like flavour, which can withstand long-distance transport without losing their consumer qualities. The rich biochemical composition of the fruit attests to the new variety’s high nutritional value. It contains 8.0 per cent sugars, 0.8 per cent acids, and 64.3 milligrammes of ascorbic acid per 100 grammes.

According to scientists, one of the main advantages of the new variety is its high winter hardiness. The degree of frost damage to the plants did not exceed 1 point even during the most severe winters.

Furthermore, the variety is characterised by high productivity: the plants are capable of producing up to 500 grammes of berries per bush, and the yield exceeds 150 centners per hectare. This feature makes the variety promising for commercial berry cultivation, as well as for farms and private smallholdings.

"We have succeeded in developing a reliable variety that meets the growing demands of producers and consumers of agricultural produce," noted the variety’s developer, Natalya Andronova, a leading research fellow in the Department of Genetics and Breeding of Horticultural Crops at the Federal Horticultural Centre and a candidate of agricultural sciences.

The scientist highlighted that the new variety of garden strawberry has the potential to boost the profitability of the Russian agro-industrial complex, as well as to contribute to the further advancement of breeding research, as it possesses qualities that are valuable to agriculture.