“Natsu-no-Kagayaki,” a new variety of strawberries, Courtesy of National Agricultural Research Center for Kyushu Okinawa Region.
National Agricultural Research Center for Kyushu Okinawa Region (KONARC) announced July 11 that it succeeded in growing a new variety of everbearing strawberries, “Natsu-no-Kagayaki” or “summer brilliance.” Having a high tolerance for heat, stable amount of its harvest is expected during summer and fall. The yield of its product would be 1.13 tons per 10 ares, which is almost three times as much as that of the existing variety, “Summerberry.” Natsu-no-Kagayaki is highly resistant to greensickness and easy to grow.
The ideal place for cultivating this variety is the area with the highest temperature of 30 degrees Celsius or less. Kazuyoshi Sone, a senior researcher at KONARC’s Research Group of Strawberry Breeding, said “To keep the quality of fruit and the percentage of harvest that can be placed on the market, the south end of its cultivation area would be around the quasi-cold upland of Kyushu.”
They cultivated Natsu-no-Kagayaki from 2001 to 2012, and applied for registration in June 2013. The data concerning yield and others are from the test results of those that were grown in 2011 and 2012 at an experiment station in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture. Using greenhouses for elevated cultivation and rain cover, they harvested the strawberries from the end of June to that of October. Those berries that each weighed 5 grams or more were regarded as commercial products.
“Natsu-no-Kagayaki” bears fruit easily even on long days with high temperature. The total number of fruit bunches per root throughout one season is 6.1, which is 4.5 more than that of “Summerberry.” “Natsu-no-Kagayaki” tends to develop flower buds continuously and it doesn’t lose vigor easily as it grows very fast.
The color of its fruit ranges from orange red to red with luster. The average weight of each berry is 8.7 grams. The level of flesh firmness, sugar content and taste is almost same as that of “Summerberry.” “Natsu-no-Kagayaki” has middle resistance to powdery mildew and anthracnose, and has already been cultivated experimentally in Niigata and Okayama Prefecture.
According to KONARC, summer and fall strawberries account for around 88 hectares of all the 5,700-hectare strawberry farms throughout Japan. Strawberries are in demand all year round, but in summer, they rely on imports from the United States and other countries.
(July 12, 2014)