草莓品種‘臺大朱蜜’及‘臺大朱露’的性狀及生育表現

Abstract

栽培種草莓(Fragaria × ananassa Duchesne)為薔薇科草莓屬之八倍體物種，是全球栽培最廣泛的小果類作物之一。草莓育種始於歐洲，偏好高品質、注重環保，美國則是高產量、果重和硬度，並引入原生種日中性基因達到全年供應。日本草莓育種始於19世紀，以豐產、大果及高品質爲目標，在臺灣高價出售。臺灣自1960年商業栽培草莓，至2011年主要品種為‘桃園1號’，之後改栽培‘香水’，儘管其風味較淡，但臺灣產銷模式偏好高產量的品種。臺灣缺乏高品質、高產且適應臺灣之草莓品種，而栽培困境有氣候變遷致使產期延後、病蟲害嚴重。此外，設施及高架栽培面積在臺灣逐漸擴張，可減少氣候及病蟲害影響，高經濟價值的草莓爲此栽培類型的理想選擇之一，但需要有適合的品種。以解決困境與改善品種為目標，需要適應性佳、產量高、果實著色佳、甜度高等性狀。臺大果樹生理研究室於2015年以‘章姬’與‘幸香’雜交選拔出‘臺大朱蜜’及‘臺大朱露’，於2024年取得品種權。 目前對‘臺大朱蜜’及‘臺大朱露’之性狀及生育特性仍未有完整研究，因此本研究以‘幸香’為對照，觀察‘臺大朱蜜’與‘臺大朱露’在臺北平地設施、高架、無土及無農藥栽培環境下之性狀及生育表現，以為未來栽培推廣、栽培方式及育種方向提供參考。試驗結果顯示，‘臺大朱蜜’與‘幸香’有17個性狀差異，‘臺大朱露’與‘幸香’有14個，而新品種之間則有17個，其中以果實性狀差異較明顯，較能辨別品種。新品種生長勢强、植株半直立、果梗長、果實著色佳。‘臺大朱蜜’果實香氣濃，‘臺大朱露’繁殖倍率高。生育特性上，‘臺大朱蜜’與‘臺大朱露’營養生長大部分時間優於‘幸香’，可銷售產量及生產穩定性也高於‘幸香’。其他個別特性為，‘臺大朱蜜’花期早，果實需較長生長時間；‘臺大朱露’單果重較高，各級果實重量差異大。果實品質方面，‘臺大朱蜜’與‘臺大朱露’風味比‘幸香’甜，前者具有與‘幸香’相近的硬度，後者果實較大。品種缺點有，‘臺大朱蜜’果實生育日數長；少量‘臺大朱露’植株‘停心’，果實軟。試驗期間亦觀察到部分栽培限制：如授粉率低、缺鈣缺硼與蟲害影響光合作用與產量等問題。此外，本研究未與市售主力品種進行直接比較，病蟲害抗性亦有待評估。整體而言，‘臺大朱蜜’與‘臺大朱露’在北部設施高架無土栽培環境中表現良好，具強勢生長、產量穩定、果實品質佳等優勢，具推廣與後續育種發展之潛力。

The cultivated strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duchesne) is an octoploid species belonging to the genus Fragaria in the Rosaceae family. It is one of the most widely cultivated small fruit crop in the world. Strawberry breeding began in Europe, focusing on high quality and environmental protection. In contrast, the United States emphasizes high yield, fruit weight, firmness, and introduces day-neutral genes from wild species to achieve year-round production. Japanese strawberries are sold at high prices in Taiwan, with breeding beginning in the 19th century, targeting high yields, large fruits, and high quality. Commercial strawberry cultivation in Taiwan began in the 1960s, with ‘Taoyuan No. 1’ as the main variety until 2011, after which it was largely replaced by ‘Aroma’. Despite its milder flavor, ‘Aroma’ became favored due to Taiwan’s production and marketing system, which prioritizes high-yielding cultivars. However, Taiwan still lacks strawberry varieties that combine high quality, high yield, and local adaptability. Current cultivation challenges include climate change leading to delayed harvests, and severe pest and disease pressures. Protected and elevated cultivation systems are expanding in Taiwan, helping reduce climate and pest impacts. These systems are well-suited for high-value crops like strawberries, but require adapted cultivars. To solve these challenges and improve cultivars, breeding should focus on traits such as good adaptability, high yield, good fruit coloration, and high sweetness. In 2015, new strawberry varieties, ‘NTU Jumi’ and ‘NTU Jiro’ were selected from a cross between ‘Akihime’ and ‘Sachinoka’ in the breeding program at the NTU Fruit Physiology Laboratory, which obtained plant variety rights in 2024. However, comprehensive studies on the traits and growth characteristics of these new varieties remain limited. This study used ‘Sachinoka’ as a control to investigates the traits and growth of ‘NTU Jumi’ and ‘NTU Jiro’ under a protected, pesticide-free, soilless and elevated cultivation system in lowland Taipei. The goal is to provide a reference for future cultivation promotion and breeding directions. The results showed 17 different traits between ‘NTU Jumi’ and ‘Sachinoka’, 14 between ‘NTU Jiro’ and ‘Sachinoka’, and 17 between the two new cultivars. Fruit traits showed the most obvious differences and were useful for distinguishing the cultivars. The new cultivars had vigorous growth, semi-upright plant type, long fruit stalks, and good fruit color. ‘NTU Jumi’ had a strong aroma, while ‘NTU Jiro’ had a high propagation rate. In terms of growth, both cultivars had better vegetative growth than ‘Sachinoka’during most of the growing period and also had higher marketable yields and more stable production. Other individual traits included early flowering and longer fruit development time for ‘NTU Jumi’, and larger average fruit weight with more size variation for ‘NTU Jiro’. In fruit quality, both new cultivars were sweeter than ‘Sachinoka’. ‘NTU Jumi’ had similar firmness, while ‘NTU Jiro’ produced larger fruits. However, some weaknesses were found. ‘NTU Jumi’ needed a longer time for fruit development, and some ‘NTU Jiro’ plants showed “self-topping” and produced soft fruits. Other cultivation issues observed included low pollination rate, calcium and boron deficiency, and pest damage affecting photosynthesis and yield. This study did not compare the new cultivars with other major commercial varieties, and their resistance to pests and diseases still needs to be studied. In conclusion, ‘NTU Jumi’ and ‘NTU Jiro’ performed well under protected, soilless, elevated cultivation in northern Taiwan. They showed strong growth, stable yield, and good fruit quality, and have potential for future production and breeding use.