The performance of strawberry cultivars in southern Brazil

Strawberry cultivation is widespread in several regions of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, and there is a high demand for strawberries by the consumer market; they are often an alternative income for family farmers. This research aimed to evaluate the agronomic performance of strawberry cultivars Albion, Camarosa, San Andreas, Camino Real, and Aromas in the climatic conditions found in Frederico Westphalen - RS. The experiment was conducted at the Federal University of Santa Maria campus Frederico Westphalen/RS in the year 2015, in the conventional conduction system in low tunnels. A randomized block design was used with four replications, eight plants per plot totaling 32 plants evaluated for each treatment. Phyllochron (°C day leaf -1) was evaluated by estimating the inverse angular coefficient of the linear regression between the number of sheets in the main crown and the sum of thermal time accumulated from the transplant of the seedlings. The number of fruits, yield per plant, total acidity (TA), total soluble solids (TSS) and Ratio (TSS/TA) were also evaluated. The leaf emission rate was similar among the cultivars. The cultivar Camino Real highlighted by the larger production of fruits, averaged a superior mass (fruit plant-1) than the other cultivars. Albion, Camarosa, and San Andreas highlighted,in relation to quality parameters, the highest values of TSS.