CHARACTERISTICS OF A NEW PROCESSING STRAWBERRY CULTIVAR, BENIHIBARI

The new strawberry cultivar for processing use,'Benihibari' was selected in 1989 from hybrid seedlings of 'America' and 'Hokowase' at Toyo Institute of Food Technology, Kawanishi, Hyogo. The plant form of 'Benihibari' is spreading, and the plant height and the number of leaves are similar to those of 'America'. The harvesting season is from the mid May to the beginning of June, which is earlier than that of 'America'. The fruit of 'Benihibari' is conical, bright red, and very glossy. The flesh is shiny scar let and firm. The soluble solids and acid contents of the fruits are almost the same as those of 'America'. The yield per plant is 579 g which is slightly less than that of 'America'. The mature fruits of 'Benihibari' can be detached easily from the calyxes, yielding calyx-free berries. The percentage of calyx-free fruits is much higher than that of 'America'. The torn part of calyx on the fruit is so firm that the fruit does not soften so fast as that of 'America'. The fruit of 'Benihibari' is resistant to rot organisms in the feild. The percentage of spoiled fruits is less than 10%, much lower than those of 'America' and 'Hokowase'. The jam made from the fruits of 'Benihibari' is superior to those of 'America' and 'Hokowase'. The preserved fruits are soft, bright red, and flavorful which make 'Benihibari' a good processing strawberry cultivar for open field planting.