THE GENETIC IMPROVEMENT OF STRAWBERRY PROGENIES THROUGH RECURRENT RECIPROCAL SELECTION

Abstract

The 1st stage of a program to improve the performance of an F1 hybrid strawberry progeny grown directly from seed up to that of commercial vegeta-tively-propagated varieties is reported. One cycle of recurrent reciprocal selection using selfing significantly improved plant stand, foliage health, foliage and berry uniformity, and berry appearance, but did not improve yield significantly. A similar cycle using sibbing significantly improved berry appearance and foliage health, but did not improve the other 4 characters significantly. Results indicate that this method of breeding can be successfully used in strawberry improvement.