DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF AN INVITRO SYSTEM TO STUDY STRAWBERRY FRUIT-DEVELOPMENT

Growth and ripening of strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) fruit harvested at immature stages of development was accomplished by placing the peduncles of individual fruit in solutions composed of hydroxyquinoline hemisulphate (HQS) and sucrose. Fruit cultivar and developmental stage at harvest were the major determinants of in vitro performance. 'Pajaro' fruit harvested at 50 to 60% maturity exhibited the greatest and most uniform weight gain when placed in solutions containing 200 mol m-3 HQS and 88 mol m-3 sucrose. Although the final fruit weight of in vitro-ripened fruit was less than that of field-ripened fruit, colour development in vitro occurred at the same rate and to the same extent as field-grown fruit.