Developing resource-use efficient strawberries for substrate production

The realisation of optimal yield and quality from a crop is often dependent upon a complex interaction between the environment and the plant genotype. In the UK and across Europe growers are increasingly producing fruit crops such as strawberries in substrates, rather than in soil and in glasshouses and polytunnels rather than the open field. Despite this opportunitity for cultivars tailored to this more controlled environment many breeding programmes still select and trial new varieties in the open field in soil. In this project the basis of key traits for optimate soil-less production will be investigated along with those yielding maximum fruit quality in this more controlled environment. Genetic markers will be developed for exploitaion by breeders and by working with agronomists, substrate producers and supermarkets valuable knowledge and practical techniques for optimum production of new cultivars will be gathered to benefit UK growers of stawberries under protection.