Strawberry plant named ‘Sonora’

[0002] The new variety, ‘Sonora’, originated as a result of a controlled cross between the strawberry plants ‘33×257’ and ‘L2’ (both unpatented varieties of Driscoll Strawberry Associates, Inc.) in an ongoing breeding program, and was discovered as a seedling in a controlled breeding plot in Monterey County, Calif. The original seedling of the new cultivar was asexually propagated by stolons at a Nursury in McArthur, Shasta County, Calif. Propagules were transplanted to a controlled breeding plot in Monterey County, Calif., where the variety was identified and selected for further evaluation in May 1996. The new variety, ‘Sonora’, was subsequently asexually propagated and underwent further testing in the Monterey Bay area in California for five years. This propagation and testing has demonstrated that the combination of traits disclosed herein which characterize the new variety are fixed and are retained true to type through successive generations of asexual reproduction.

[0003] The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of strawberry named ‘Sonora’. The varierty 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.

[0004] The varieties that we believe to be similar to ‘Sonora’ from those known to us are ‘Commander’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,024), ‘San Juan’ (U.S. plant application Ser. No. 09/524,581), and ‘Ana Maria’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,035). There are several characteristics of the new variety that are different from, or not possessed by, ‘Commander’, ‘San Juan’ and ‘Ana Maria’. The new variety is fully everbearing and has a flat globose habit, strong interveinal blistering, weak leaf glossiness, rounded terminal leaflet shape of base and teeth, sparse petiole pubescence, dense to very dense stolon pubescence, a position of inflorescence above the foliage, larger calyx diameter relative to the corolla, a semi-erect attitude of the fruiting truss at first picking, predominantly conical fruit, very slight to slight differences between shapes of primary and secondary fruits, very narrow to narrow band without achenes, very weak unevenness of surface of the fruit, weak to medium glossiness of the fruit, spreading to reflexed pose of the calyx segments, even flesh color of the fruit, and absent to small hollow center size.

[0005] The accompanying photographs show typical specimens of the new variety, including fruit, foliage and flowers, in color as nearly true as reasonably possible in illustrations of this type.

[0006] FIG. 1 shows the whole plant.

[0007] FIG. 2 shows the leaves of the plant.

[0008] FIG. 3 shows the upperside and the underside of the flowers.

[0009] FIG. 4 shows a close-up view of the fruit.

[0010] FIG. 5 shows the fruit in longitudinal cross-section.

[0011] The following detailed description of the new variety is based upon recorded observations of plants and fruit grown in Monterey County, Calif., U.S.A. Observations of ‘Commander’, ‘San Juan’ and ‘Ana Maria’ were taken side-by-side comparison in 2000. This description is in accordance with terminology used by the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV). 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. Where colors are described herein, the most similar color designations are provided from The Royal Horticultural Society (R.H.S) Colour Chart.

[0012] 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.

[0013] Information on the new variety is presented in Tables 1, 2, 3 and 4. The flowers described in the tables are secondary flowers except where indicated. The fruit described is the secondary fruit on one-year-old plants. Fruit and flower measurements are an average of both primary and secondary fruit and flowers. Additional charateristic of the fruit of ‘Sonora’ include a medium acidity, having an average titratable acidity of 1.13%, an average brix of 11.8%, and the vascular tissue in ‘Sonora’ fruit is white (155D) in color. Characteristics of the stolons are also included in the Tables. In 2001, ‘Sonora’ produced an average of 33 daughter plants per mother plant in a low-elevation nursery, while ‘San Juan’ produced an average of 61 daughters/mother plant, indicating fewer stolons were produced by ‘Sonora’. The time of first flowering of ‘Sonora’ in the Watsonville area is late February to early March.

[0014] Table 1 provides information on the plant and fruit characteristics of the new variety ‘Sonora’ compared with characteristics of the varieties ‘Commander’, ‘San Juan’ and ‘Ana Maria’. Table 2 provides additional information of the plant and fruit characteristics of the new variety ‘Sonora’ compared with characteristics of the varieties ‘Commander’, ‘San Juan’ and ‘Ana Maria’. Table 3 provides the new variety's reactions to stress, pests, and diseases as compared to the varieties ‘Commander’, ‘San Juan’ and ‘Ana Maria’.

[0015] In addition to morphological descriptions, the new cultivar ‘Sonora’ 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 ‘Sonora’, ‘Commander’, ‘San Juan’ and ‘Ana Maria’ were analyzed by electrophoresis for isozyme patterns of the enzymes phosphoglucoisomerase (PGI), leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) and phosphogluomutase (PGM). See e.g., J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 106:684-687. Table 4 provides isozyme characteristics of the new variety as compared to the varieties ‘Commander’, ‘San Juan’ and ‘Ana Maria’.