Evaluation and selection of strawberry cultivars from the bioresource collection of the Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding based on berry weight and selected biochemical composition parameters

Garden strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) is a dessert fruit renowned for its exceptional taste and aromatic qualities. The plant is extensively cultivated across diverse global agro-climatic zones. Given the ongoing diversification of the strawberry cultivars, the bioresource collection at the Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding has studied 34 new breeding lines. These samples were systematically evaluated based on fruit mass and the accumulation of nutrients responsible for organoleptic qualities, including sugars, organic acids, and their ratio—the sugar-to-acid index. For the central region of Russia, the target standards for the quality parameters of this berry are as follows: berry mass – ≥10 g, total sugar content – ≥8.0 %, organic acid content – 1.0–1.5 %, and taste score – 4.5–5.0 points. The majority of cultivars (82.4 %) were classified in the medium fruit mass category. Alba, Asia, Bereginya, Clery, and Syria cultivars were identified as large-fruited, with a mass exceeding 20 g. Genotypes exhibiting superior berry chemical profiles were selected based on the following criteria: total sugars ≥8.0 %, organic acids ≤0.90 %, and a sugar-to-acid ratio ≥8.0. Different reactions of cultivars to changes in external conditions were observed regarding the accumulation of biochemical substances in berries. The stability of high sugar accumulation in fruits was notably demonstrated by Darselect, Molling Pandora, and Honeoye, while consistently low organic acid content was characteristic of Asia, Marmolada, and Zumba. We recommended these genotypes as sources for breeding aimed at improving fruit chemical composition. The highest flavor scores (4.7-4.9 points) were obtained for cultivars including Zumba, Kokinskaya Rannaya, Marmolada, Molling Pandora, Neznakomka, Onda, Rosinka, Sara, Sonsation, Syria, Frida, Honeoye, and Elliani. In addition, these cultivars exhibited elevated sugar-to-acid index values (above 8.0). Pairwise correlation coefficients calculated between biochemical and organoleptic traits revealed a significant positive correlation between taste and the sugar-to-acid index (r=+0,41*) and a negative correlation between taste and organic acid content (r=-0‚58***). Moreover, a moderate positive correlation was found between the total sugars (r=+0,58***) and monosaccharides (r=+ 0,56***) with the sugar-to-acid index, as well as a strong positive correlation of these parameters with soluble solids (r=+0,86*** and +0.81**, respectively).

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