FIRST RESULTS OF SOME DAY-NEUTRAL STRAWBERRY CULTIVARS BEHAVIOR IN THE BUCHAREST AREA CONDITIONS

The main objective of the experiment consist in testing three cultivars of strawberries: two day-neutral ('Albion' and 'San Andreas') and one with one year harvest ('Benicia'). The goal was to monitor and evaluate their behaviour in the first year of vegetation in a plasticulture system considering the pedo-climatic conditions of Bucharest. We focused mainly on the following characteristics and traits: flowering and fruit maturation, the amounts of the accumulated temperatures during the bearing period, fruit weight, fruit shape, solid dry matter content, ascorbic acid content and total sugar content (glucose, fructose and sucrose). The earliest ripening date ranged between 18th and 25th of June and the amounts of temperatures accumulated up to this phenophase ranged between 1380 and 1515.5?C. The strawberries reached the harvest maturity between June, 27th and July 1st for a period of 6-9 days. The day-neutral strawberry cultivars develop fruits who have been ripening during the entire summer and autumn season, the last significant harvest was remarked toward the end of October, when they accumulated 2317?C each. The plants had continued to produce even in November and December, till the first frost. In the first months after planting, fruit weight was lower (8.33 g - 11.52 g) than achievable weight of each cultivar. All the studied cultivars have excellent organoleptic characteristics, a good shelf life potential and a high efficiency of fructification, taking into account the cultivation system and the overall technological measures. A high sugar content of 6.49% (glucose, fructose and sucrose) and solid dry matter content of 6.8% has been recorded by 'San Andreas' and the ascorbic acid content was of 71.92 mg/100g. A lower content in sugar was registered by 'Albion' with 4.81% and 4.28% by 'Benicia'. Regarding ascorbic acid content, 'Albion' accumulate the highest content in fruits (84.89 mg/100g) next by 'Benicia' with 74.6 mg/100g. The day-neutral cultivars remarked also by a notable number of runners at the end of the year.