Patent Grant
PP22633
Latin name of the genus and species of the plant claimed: Fragaria×ananassa Duch. (Fragaria L.).
Variety denomination: ‘BARAK’.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(f) of the Israeli Plant Breeders' Rights Application No. 4223/09 filed Oct. 29, 2009.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct strawberry variety named ‘BARAK’. The variety is botanically known as Fragaria×ananassa Duch.
The new strawberry ‘BARAK’ is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the inventors, Nir DAI, Zecharia TANAMI, Sara SLOTZKY and Ahuva DAOS in Bet-Dagan, Israel. The objective of the breeding program was to develop high quality fruit with high eating qualities and long shelf life.
This new strawberry ‘BARAK’ is a result of a controlled cross made by the inventors in 2004, in a greenhouse in Bet-Dagan, Israel. The female or seed parent is the strawberry variety designated ‘TAMIR’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,647, granted Jan. 19, 2010, Israel PBR (plant breeders' rights) application No. 4029/07 filed Oct. 04, 2007, European Community PBR application No. 2008/2105 filed 24 Sep. 2008, South Africa PBR application No. PT 5701, filed Jun. 5, 2009). The male or pollen parent is strawberry breeding line designated ‘ARO 730’, selected in ARO breeding program, Israel. The new strawberry ‘BARAK’ was observed and selected by the inventors as a single plant within the progeny of the stated cross in April of 2006, in an experimental greenhouse in Bet-Dagan, Israel. After its selection, the new variety was asexually propagated by stolons (runners) in a nursery located in Bet-Dagan, Israel. The new variety ‘BARAK’ was intensively tested over the following years in a few small trial plots in Moshav Tsofit, Kadima and Qalansawa, Israel. This propagation has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for the new cultivar are firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of asexual propagation. The new variety propagates true-to-type.
‘BARAK’ is primarily adapted to the climate and growing conditions of the Sharon Coastal Plain, at 32° latitude, located in Israel and to similar climatic regions. This region provides suitable growing conditions in autumn with high temperatures that promote initial plant growth and early fruit production, mild winter with moderate temperatures and many sunny days with low humidity, maintaining plant vigor and fruit quality during fruit production months.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be characteristics of ‘BARAK’, which in combination distinguishes this strawberry plant as a new, unique and distinct variety:
Plants of the new strawberry variety ‘BARAK’ differs from the female parent ‘TAMIR’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,647 granted Jan. 19, 2010, Israel PBR (plant breeders' rights) application No. 4029/07 filed Oct. 4, 2007, European Community PBR application No. 2008/2105 filed 24 Sep. 2008, South Africa PBR application No. PT 5701 filed Jun. 5, 2009) and from the male parent ARO breeding selection ‘ARO 730’ in the characteristics described in Table 1.
Of the numerous commercial cultivars known to the present inventors, the most similar to the new strawberry variety ‘BARAK’ is the commercial strawberry variety ‘YAEL’ (registered for PBR in Israel, no. 1542, September 1996). Plants of the new strawberry variety ‘BARAK’ differ from plants of strawberry variety ‘YAEL’ in the characteristics described in Table 2.
For identification, a series of molecular markers have been developed. The genetic polymorphic pattern of two Cleavage Amplified Polymorphic Sequence (CAPS) markers (A. MSR-AluI and B. APX- MluI (Kunihisa et al., 2003) that differ between the new strawberry variety ‘BARAK’ and the main commercial Israeli strawberry varieties, as well as, other widely known strawberry varieties is shown in
The accompanying color photographs illustrate the overall appearance of typical specimens of the new strawberry variety ‘BARAK’, at various stages of development as true as it is reasonably possible with color reproductions of this type. Color in the photographs may differ slightly from the color value cited in the botanical description which accurately describes the color of ‘BARAK’. The depicted plant and plant parts of the new strawberry variety ‘BARAK’ were taken in Moshav Tsofit and Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel, at the age of 3 months after planting in September.
‘BARAK’ has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The characteristics of the new variety may vary in detail, depending upon variations in environmental factors, including weather (temperature, humidity and light intensity), day length, soil type and location.
The aforementioned photographs, together with the following observations, measurements and values describe the new strawberry variety ‘BARAK’, unless otherwise noted, taken during the winter of the growing season 2008-2009 in Moshav Tsofit Israel. The observations, measurements and values were taken from plants of ‘BARAK’ dug from a low-elevation nursery located in Moshav Tsofit, Israel, during September, 2008 and planted directly, without any chilling, on the same day, in the field in Moshav Tsofit, Israel. Plants of the new strawberry variety ‘BARAK’ were grown under conditions which closely approximate those generally used in commercial practice.
Growing conditions at the nursery:
Mother plants provided from an authorized nursery are planted in the beginning of May, in the nursery at 2.5 m×2.5 m distance. Combination of overhead and drip irrigation with addition of fertilizers is used. The average day/night temperatures during the establishment of the daughter plants, between June to August, are 29° C./22° C. Runners appear from June, which produce young daughter plants up till mid September. These are then collected and planted directly in the field.
Growing conditions at the fruit production field as is typically used in agricultural practice.
The plants are washed from soil and dipped in Octav (Prochloraz manganese) 2 g/Liter solution to avoid anthracnose. These bare rooted plants are then planted in raised beds with overhead irrigation in 4 rows at 30 cm apart. Distance between plants within rows is 32 cm. During the first month, no fertilizers are added, due to the addition of 60-100 m3/ hectare compost during field preparation. About 4 weeks after planting the beds are covered with silvery-black, 30 micron polyethylene. The young plants are pulled out through the pre-prepared holes. From this point on, the plants are irrigated with a drip system with a supply of additional fertilizers, as is typically used in agricultural practice. By the end of October the beds are covered with transparent, 80 micron thick polyethylene tunnels. The average day (max) and night (minimum) temperatures during the cultivation season are shown in
During winter in Israel, most days have full sunlight and only an average of 82 rainy days from August to June, producing about 520 mm precipitation. The fields are not treated with growth regulators and regularly are irrigated and fertilized according to need during fruit production.
Yield observations and fruit quality characteristics are averaged from 2 years of data collected from the 2008 to 2009 and 2009 to 2010 growing seasons. Flower measurements and characteristics are from secondary flowers unless otherwise noted. Fruit characteristics and measurements are from secondary fruit unless otherwise noted.
Color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart (R.H.S.) (year of edition 1986), except where general colors of ordinary significance are used. Color values were taken under daylight conditions between 10:00 a.m. to noon in Bet-Dagan, Israel. The approximate age of the observed plants is 4 to 6 months.
The following Tables 3 to 9 describe fruit, plant, stolon, foliage, fruiting truss, flower and pest/disease characteristics of the new strawberry ‘BARAK’.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4223/09 | Oct 2009 | IL | national |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20110107483 P1 | May 2011 | US |
