Strawberry plant named `Driscoll Jubilee`

Abstract

This invention relates to a new and distinct variety of strawberry named `Driscoll Jubilee.` The variety is similar to the varieties `Driscoll Camarillo` and `Driscoll Coronation.` The variety is distinguished from `Driscoll Camarillo` and `Driscoll Coronation,` in particular, by its smaller spread of plant, conic shaped fruit of greater length than width, thinner stolons, red and white internal fruit color, the shape of the base of the terminal leaflets is acute, and the inflorescence is beneath the foliage.

Description

Latin name of the genus and species of the plant claimed: The variety is botanically identified as Fragaria×ananassa.

Variety denomination: The strawberry variety denomination is `Driscoll Jubilee`.

1. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The new variety originated as a result of a controlled cross between the strawberry plants `50C130` (unpatented variety) and `19A331` (unpatented variety) in an ongoing breeding program, and was discovered as a seedling in Kent, England in 1999. The original seedling of the new cultivar was asexually propagated by stolons in a Nursery in Kent, England. Propagules were transplanted to a controlled breeding plot in Monterey, Calif., where the variety was identified and selected for further evaluation. `Driscoll Jubilee` was subsequently asexually propagated and underwent further testing in Monterey, Calif. for one year. This propagation and testing has demonstrated that the combination of traits disclosed herein which characterize the new variety are fixed and retained true to type through successive generations of asexual reproduction.

2. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of strawberry named `Driscoll Jubilee.` The variety is botanically identified as Fragaria×ananassa. The new variety is distinguished from other varieties by a number of characteristics as set forth in Tables 1-4.

3. COMPARISON TO SIMILAR VARIETIES

The varieties which we believe to be similar to `Driscoll Jubilee` from those known to us are `Driscoll Camarillo` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,771) and `Driscoll Coronation` (U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 10/619,692). These are several characteristics of the new variety that are different from, or not possessed by `Driscoll Camarillo` and `Driscoll Coronation`. The new variety has a smaller spread of plant, conic shaped fruit of greater length than width, thinner stolons, red and white internal fruit color, the shape of the base of the terminal leaflets is acute, and the inflorescence is beneath the foliage. The internal fruit color of `Driscoll Jubilee` and `Driscoll Camarillo` comprises a white color interspersed in a striped manner among the orange-red or red color described for each variety. Each color described for the internal fruit color of `Driscoll Camarillo` and `Driscoll Jubilee` is individually present in the internal fruit tissues. In contrast, the internal fruit color of `Driscoll Coronation` is whitish.

`Driscoll Jubilee` is distinguished from its maternal parent `50C130` by its smaller fruit size, firmer flesh, and its fully everbearing habit. `Driscoll Jubilee` is distinguished from its paternal parent `19A331` by its redder external fruit color, firmer flesh, and sweeter taste.

4. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying photographs show typical specimens of the new variety, including fruit, foliage and flowers, in color as nearly true as it is reasonably possible to make in color illustrations of these characteristics.

FIG. 1 shows the whole the plant.

FIG. 2 shows the upper side of the leaves of the plant.

FIG. 3 shows the upper side and underside of the flowers.

FIG. 4 shows the fruit in longitudinal cross-section.

FIG. 5 shows a close-up of the fruit.

5. DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW VARIETY

The following detailed description of the new variety is based upon observations taken of plants and fruit grown in Monterey County, Calif., U.S.A. This description is in accordance with UPOV terminology. Observations of `Driscoll Jubilee`, `Driscoll Camarillo` and `Driscoll Coronation` were taken in side by side comparison in the year 2002. Plants for observation were harvested from a low elevation nursery in Tehama County, Calif. in December 2001, and held in refrigerated storage until planting in Monterey County, Calif. in March 2002. Plants were grown in raised beds of soil under conditions typical of commercial strawberry production along the central coast of California. Fruits were harvested twice weekly for yield determination from May to October 2002. Measurements of plant, flower, and fruit characteristics were made in August 2002, approximately five months after planting. Color designations, color descriptions, and other phenotypical descriptions may deviate from the stated values and descriptions depending upon variation in environmental, seasonal, climatic and cultural conditions. Colors are described and the most similar color designations are provided from The Royal Horticultural Society (R.H.S.) Colour Chart.

5.1 PROPAGATION

The new variety is principally propagated by way of stolons. Although propagation by stolons is presently preferred, other known methods of propagating strawberry plants may be employed.

5.2 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NEW VARIETY

Information on the new variety is presented in Tables 1, 2, 3 and 4. In the tables, the flowers described are secondary flowers except where indicated. The fruit described is the secondary fruit on five month old plants. Fruit and flower measurements are an average of both primary and secondary fruit and flowers.

Table 1 provides information on the plant and fruit characteristics of the new variety `Driscoll Jubilee` compared with characteristics of `Driscoll Camarillo` and `Driscoll Coronation.` Table 2 provides additional information of the plant and fruit characteristics of the new variety `Driscoll Jubilee` compared with characteristics of the varieties `Driscoll Camarillo` and `Driscoll Coronation.` Table 3 provides reactions of the new variety to stresses, pests and diseases compared with reactions of the varieties `Driscoll Camarillo` and `Driscoll Coronation.` Table 4 provides isozyme characteristics of the new variety as compared to that of the varieties `Driscoll Camarillo` and `Driscoll Coronation.`

TABLE 1
QUANTITATIVE COMPARISON OF `DRISCOLL JUBILEE`,
`DRISCOLL CAMARILLO,` AND
`DRISCOLL CORONATION`
	`Driscoll	`Driscoll	`Driscoll
	Jubilee`	Camarillo`	Coronation`
Plant Characteristics
Height of plant (cm)	18.3	20.5	17.0
Spread of plant (cm)	30.7	39.4	33.2
Number of crowns	3.5	3.0	3.0
Leaf Characteristics
Terminal leaflet length (cm)	6.9	8.4	7.9
Terminal leaflet width (cm)	6.7	8.5	7.4
Terminal leaflet length/width	1.04	0.99	1.07
ratio
# Teeth/terminal leaflet	20.1	27.0	24.3
Color of upper side	147A	147A	147A
	dark	dark	dark
	green	green	green
Color of under side	138B	147C	139C
	light to	light	light to
	medium	green	medium
	green		green
Petiole length (cm)	15.8	16.8	16.2
Petiole color	145A	145A	145A
Bract frequency	42%	67%	25%
	typically	typically	typically
	double	double	double
Stipule length (cm)	3.1	4.0	3.3
Stipule width (cm)	1.0	1.0	0.8
Flower Characteristics
Petal length (cm)	1.12	1.13	0.96
Petal width (cm)	1.17	1.29	0.93
Petal length/width Ratio	0.96	0.88	1.03
Flower diameter (cm)	2.92	3.17	2.55
Calyx diameter (cm)	2.65	3.09	2.51
Average Fruiting truss length	27.7	33.2	24.2
(cm)
Petal color (cm)	155C	155C	155C
Fruit Characteristics
Fruit length (cm)	3.8	3.8	3.9
Fruit width (cm)	3.4	3.9	3.9
Fruit length/width ratio	1.10	0.97	0.99
Average berry weight (g)	19.8	20.7	20.0
External color	45A	42A	45B
	red	red	red
Internal color	43A - 155B	33A - 155C	159D
	red and	orange red	whitish
	white	and white
Achene coloration	184A to 4A	184B to 4B	184A to 8B
Yield (g/plant)	600	1200	850

TABLE 2
QUALITATIVE COMPARISON OF `DRISCOLL JUBILEE`,
`DRISCOLL CAMARILLO,` AND `DRISCOLL CORONATION`
	`Driscoll	`Driscoll	`Driscoll
	Jubilee`	Camarillo`	Coronation`
Plant
Habit	flat globose	flat globose	flat
Density	open to	open	open
	medium
Vigor	weak to	medium to	weak to
	medium	strong	medium
Leaf
Shape in cross section	slightly	concave	slightly
	concave to flat		concave to flat
Interveinal blistering	strong	strong	medium
Glossiness	medium	medium to	strong
		strong
Number of leaflets	three only	three only	three only
Terminal leaflet	revolute	revolute	revolute
margin profile
Terminal leaflet shape	acute	rounded	obtuse
of base
Terminal leaflet shape	rounded	rounded	obtuse
of teeth
Stipule pubescence	sparse to	medium	sparse
	medium
Petiole pubescence	very sparse	sparse	very sparse to
			sparse
Petiole pose of hairs	outwards to	upwards to	outwards
	downwards	outward
Stolon
Amount	medium	medium	few to medium
Anthocyanin	medium	medium	medium
coloration
Thickness	thin to medium	thick	medium
Pubescence	sparse to	medium	medium
	medium
Inflorescence
Position relative to	beneath	above	level
foliage
Diameter of calyx	smaller to same	smaller to same	smaller to same
relative to corolla on	size	size	size
secondary flowers
Diameter of inner	smaller	same size	smaller
calyx relative to outer
on secondary flowers
Spacing of petals	touching to	overlapping	touching
	overlapping
Fruiting Truss
Attitude at first	semi-erect	semi-erect to	prostrate
picking		prostrate
Fruit
Predominant shape	conical	chordate	chordate
Difference in shapes	very slight to	slight to	slight to
between primary and	slight	moderate	moderate
secondary fruits
Band without achenes	very narrow	very narrow	very narrow
Unevenness of surface	very weak	weak to	very weak to
		medium	weak
Evenness of color	slightly uneven	even	slightly uneven
uneven			to even
Glossiness	strong	strong	strong
Insertion of achenes	level to above	below to level	level
Insertion of calyx	in a basin to	in a basin	in a basin
	level
Pose of the calyx	spreading	spreading to	spreading
segments		reflexed
Size of calyx in	smaller to same	smaller	same size to
relation to fruit on	size		larger
secondary fruit
Adherence of calyx	strong	strong	medium
Firmness of flesh	medium to firm	firm	medium
Evenness of flesh	slightly uneven	slightly uneven	even
color
Distribution of flesh	marginal and	marginal and	central
color	central	central
Hollow center size	absent to small	absent to small	small to
			medium
Sweetness	medium to	medium	strong
	strong
Texture when tasted	medium	medium	fine
Acidity	medium	medium	weak
Time of flowering	medium	medium	medium
Type of bearing	fully	fully	fully
	everbearing	everbearing	everbearing

5.3 REACTION TO STRESS, PESTS, AND DISEASE

TABLE 3
REACTIONS TO STRESS PESTS AND DISEASES FOR `DRISCOLL
JUBILEE`, `DRISCOLL CAMARILLO,` AND `DRISCOLL
CORONATION`
	`Driscoll	`Driscoll	`Driscoll
	Jubilee`	Camarillo`	Coronation`
Reaction to Stress
high pH	moderately	moderately	moderately
	resistant	resistant	resistant
high soil salt levels	moderately	moderately	moderately
	susceptible	resistant	susceptible
Reaction to Pests
Tetranychus urticae	moderately	moderately	moderately
	susceptible	susceptible	susceptible
Lygus hesperus	susceptible	susceptible	susceptible
Reaction To Diseases
Botrytis fruit rot	moderately	moderately	moderately
	susceptible to	susceptible to	susceptible to
	moderately	moderately	moderately
	resistant	resistant	resistant
Powdery mildew	susceptible	susceptible to	moderately
		highly	susceptible
		susceptible
Verticillium wilt	moderately	moderately	moderately
	resistant	susceptible	susceptible

5.4 ISOZYME ANALYSIS

In addition to the morphological description above, the new cultivar `Driscoll Jubilee` has been analyzed to obtain an indication of its genetic makeup to provide further means for identifying the new variety and distinguishing it from other somewhat similar and/or related strawberry varieties. Specifically, leaf samples of `Driscoll Jubilee`, `Driscoll Camarillo` and `Driscoll Coronation` were analyzed by electrophoresis for isozyme patterns of the enzymes phosphoglucoisomerase ("PGI"), leucine aminopeptidase ("LAP") and phosphoglucomutase ("PGM"). See J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 106:684-687. Isozyme characterization of the three varieties is presented in Table 4, with the letters representing the banding patterns for each enzyme as designated in the above-identified article.

TABLE 4
ISOZYME ANALYSIS FOR `DRISCOLL JUBILEE,` `DRISCOLL
CAMARILLO,` AND `DRISCOLL CORONATION`
		`Driscoll	`Driscoll	`Driscoll
	Locus	Jubilee`	Camarillo`	Coronation`
	PGI	A1	A2	A3
	LAP	B3	B3	B3
	PGM	C4	C4	C4

Claims

1. A new and distinct variety of strawberry plant, substantially as shown and described.