All countries 08/11/2023

Strawberry variety for greenhouse cultivation launching this month

 

This month, Sakata Seed Corporation brings to the market the F1 seed strawberry varieties ideally suited for greenhouse cultivation.

Japanese strawberries are known for their excellent taste qualities, however, they are claimed to be very delicate, which raises concerns regarding shelf life and ease of transport. Furthermore, the susceptibility to region-specific diseases during cultivation adds complexity to the equation. 

Sakata Seed Corporation’s objective is to cultivate strawberry varieties that strike a harmonious balance between the exceptional flavor inherent to Japanese strawberries, transportability, and the disease resistance requisite for their respective growing regions. 

In 2017, Sakata Seed Corporation secured the authorization to distribute seeds and seedlings of Yotsuboshi, an F1 seed strawberry jointly developed by Mie Prefecture, Kagawa Prefecture, Chiba Prefecture, and the Kyushu Okinawa Agricultural Research Center. This product was primarily marketed in Canada and the United States, affording valuable insights into regional demand.

Traditionally, numerous strawberry varieties have been propagated vegetatively from parent plants worldwide. However, this method has been beset by several challenges: (1) the need for intensive parental plant management and the collection of young plants, (2) the inherent risk of disease transmission from the parent plant, and (3) constraints on the timing of young plant transplantation. In response, Sakata Seed Corporation is actively engaged in the development of F1 seed strawberry varieties (everbearing) that can be cultivated from seeds. Global-scale trial production is already underway.