Horticultural potential of nine strawberry cultivars by greenhouse production in Brazil: A view through multivariate analysis

Abstract

Yield is commonly the main focus of strawberry producers. However, we must encourage the choice of cultivars to meet consumer demands for foods rich in bioactive compounds. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate whether strawberry cultivars produced in a greenhouse differ in their horticultural performance. An experiment with nine cultivars (‘Albion’, ‘Aromas’, ‘Camarosa’, ‘Camino Real’, ‘Fronteras’, ‘Merced’, ‘Monterey’, ‘Portola’ and ‘San Andreas’) was carried out in a randomized complete block design with six replications. Plant yield and fruit quality were evaluated. The application of multivariate analysis indicated the formation of heterogeneous groups among the nine cultivars studied, bringing together the cultivars mainly because of the similarity of fruit size and total polyphenol content. ‘Merced’ stood out as the most productive cultivar and generated the largest fruits, whereas ‘Camarosa’ produced the greatest number of strawberries. ‘Aromas’ and ‘Camarosa’ produced fruits with higher phytochemical properties than other cultivars. We conclude that strawberry cultivars differ in their horticultural performance. Among the nine analyzed cultivars, we suggest to producers the use of ‘Aromas’ and ‘Camarosa’ to obtain better phytochemical properties of strawberries, and ‘Camarosa’ and ‘Merced’ to obtain higher yield and number of fruits. ‘Camarosa’ is recommended for those producers who seek a dual purpose.