Patent Application
20240292768
Latin name of the genus and species of the plant claimed: Botanical classification: Fragaria x ananassa.
Variety denomination: The new strawberry variety denomination is ‘CBC015’.
This invention relates to a new and distinctive short-day type cultivar designated as ‘CBC015’. The new cultivar was the result of a controlled cross performed in 2015 in Huelva, Spain between the cultivar ‘Grenada’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 26,708) and the unpatented cultivar ‘Primoris’. ‘CBC015’ was first fruited at an experimental orchard near Oxnard, Calif. in 2016, where it was selected, originally designated 115.012-608, and propagated asexually by runners. Following selection and during testing, the plant of this selection was later designated ‘CBC015’. Asexual propagules from this original source have been evaluated in Watsonville, Calif., in Oxnard, Calif., and to a limited extent in grower fields starting in 2020. The cultivar is stable and reproduces true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.
The female parent ‘Grenada’ is a short-day cultivar that was selected for its overall high appearance score and large, firm fruit. Plants of ‘Grenada’ are smaller than ‘CBC015’. The male parent ‘Primoris’ is a short-day cultivar that was selected for its high early season yield. Plants of ‘Primoris’ are larger in size than ‘CBC015’.
‘CBC015’ is a short-day cultivar that produces fruit over an extended period when treated appropriately in arid, sub-tropical climates. When treated with appropriate planting regimes, ‘CBC015’ has larger fruit and produces individual plant yields greater than that of either parent. The following traits have been repeatedly observed over multiple testing years and locations and are determined to be unique characteristics of ‘CBC015’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘CBC015’ as a new and distinct Strawberry plant:
‘The cultivar ‘CBC015’, when planted under appropriate conditions, is an early fruiting short-day cultivar with exceptionally high total yields. Fruit quality is good with excellent flavor. Early yield is of increased interest to fresh market strawberry sales companies as return prices on fruit volume are substantially higher. In addition to its early yield performance, ‘CBC015’ is resistant to Macrophomina phaseolina, the causal agent of charcoal rot.
The accompanying color photographs, identified as
‘CBC015’ is a new and distinct short-day cultivar of strawberry, genus and species Fragaria x ananassa. Plants of ‘CBC015’ do not bloom continuously in higher elevation plantings, and do not bloom in the heat of low elevation nursery locations such as French Camp, CA, consistent with other short-day varieties. The plants of the new cultivar have a moderate vigor and produce multiple crowns during the growing season. ‘CBC015’ exhibits several characteristics which are improvements over one or both of its parent varieties, and other cultivars known to the Inventors. These characteristics are compared with other cultivars in Table 2, 3, and 4.
The fruit size of ‘CBC015’ is moderately large, with a seasonal average of 35.5g, slightly larger than its parents. The fruit size of ‘CBC015’ is generally good since it is not too large to be damaged in shipping containers, but not too small to allow for efficient picking and packing. The ‘CBC015’ fruit also hangs down on the shoulder of the bed later in the season, which makes for greater visibility and ease of picking. Storability of the fruit has not been measured but in informal observations the fruit retains good physical characteristics and appearance for several days after harvest at room temperature and up to at least a week in common refrigerator conditions of roughly 3° C.
‘CBC015’ produces mostly long conic fruit like its parent ‘Grenada’. The fruit of ‘CBC015’ generally ripens evenly from the tip to the shoulders of the berry, resulting in a uniform red color over the whole fruit. In contrast, the fruit of ‘Grenada’ may have a blotchy color during the ripening process. The fruit of ‘CBC015’ can be exceptionally large early in the season, with weekly average of 60 grams per fruit.
The data set for ‘CBC015’ set forth below was collected in May 2023 from plants grown at a test plot in Oxnard, CA. Yield, size, and firmness data is either averaged over the entire 2022-2023 growing season or presented as monthly totals at the same location. Description data was collected on five-month-old plants.
The observed characteristics of ‘CBC015’ are set forth in Table 1, 2, 3, and 4 below. Color terminology is noted in accordance with Pantone Color Formula Guide GP1601A. The observed characteristics of ‘CBC015’ are also compared to known cultivars ‘Fronteras’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 26,709) and ‘San Andreas’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 19,975) in Table 2, 3, and 4. Table 5 sets forth the test results of DNA fingerprinting using eight SSR markers for ‘CBC015’ and for the recently patented variety ‘CBC005’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 35,197) for comparison.
Fragaria X ananassa
Phytophthora cactorum
