In strawberry production, the combination of a high productive performance and fruits with desirable physicochemical characteristics requires the use of plants with a good quality and high initial vigor. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of plants with different crown diameters on the productive performance and fruit quality of strawberry plants of the cultivar ‘Pircinque’ (Short Day). The study was conducted in two evaluation cycles (2016/2017 and 2017/2018). The experimental design was divided into randomized blocks, with four repetitions, and plots consisting of 20 plants. This study evaluated the crown diameters of plants of 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19 mm. The productivity and number of fruit values increased significantly by 57% with larger caliber plants, which also provided precocity of productivity. The use of more vigorous plants also favored the production of fruits with higher soluble solids/titratable acidity ratios (+28%) and with epidermis coloration closer to intense red (−4.3%). For the cultivar ‘Pircinque’, plant crown diameters between 15 and 17 mm are the most favorable because they condition the best productive performances in combination with precocity and a good fruit quality.

The strawberry cultivar ‘Pircinque’ was developed by the breeding program of Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria - Centro di Olivicoltura, Frutticoltura e Agrumicoltura (CREA-OFA-FRF), an Italian research entity, and introduced in Brazil in 2013 by the Centro de Ciências Agroveterinárias da Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (CAV-UDESC). In the breeding program in which it originated, ‘Pircinque’ was selected for plant rusticity and resistance to soil pathogens. It can be cultivated where soil sterilization techniques are not used. In Brazil, the cultivation of ‘Pircinque’ has shown to be promising in the major strawberry producing regions. The main characteristics that allowed the development of this cultivar among the growers were plant vigor, productivity, rusticity, flavor, pulp firmness, crispness, sweetness and fruit color. When grown with excessive nitrogen fertilization fruit sensitivity to Botrytis cinerea fungal attack has been found, and a high vegetative plant growth. Due to fruits peculiarity, many growers make differentiated sales, adding value to quality product. Also, due to the high post-harvest period, many growers allocate part of the production to more distant locations. These characteristics are determinant for the cultivar Pircinque be distinguishable from other strawberry cultivars already marketed in Brazil. The cultivar was registered at the Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento (MAPA) in 2016, and the commercialization of plants started in 2017 with five nurseries accredited to produce and market ‘Pircinque’ plants throughout Brazil.

In the search for more efficient production systems, many changes have occurred in the strawberry production sector. Planting density is one of the management techniques that most interferes with the quality of fruits and production aspects. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different planting densities on the photosynthetic characteristics, fruit quality, and production of the strawberry cultivar Pircinque. The study was conducted in the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 harvests in Lages, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The treatments consisted of plant spacing of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 cm. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, with four blocks and plots of 20 plants. Plant spacing interfered with fruit quality, photosynthetic efficiency, production, productivity, and economic return. Due to the fruits of Pircinque having a higher quality than other cultivars, the planting spacing between 5 and 15 cm allows meeting the fruit’s main production and quality requirements. However, it is up to the producer to adapt the management if opting for higher planting densities, which allow for a greater economic viability of the business.

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Studies that evaluate the quality of the strawberry fruit, depending on the different genetic materials and places of cultivation, are still scarce in Brazil. The objective of this work was to evaluate the quality of fruits of advanced genotypes of strawberry with Italian genetics, in the municipality of Farroupilha, belonging to the Serrana region of Rio Grande do Sul. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, with four replications and 10 plants per plot, in two production cycles, containing 21 treatments in the 2018/2019 cycle and 23 treatments in the 2019/2020 cycle. The variables were quantified: fresh mass of commercial fruits (g fruit -1 ); luminosity and chroma of the epidermis; hue angle; pulp firmness (g); titratable acidity content (g 100g -1 of citric acid); soluble solids content (°Brix) and soluble solids/titratable acidity ratio (SS/AT). Among the genotypes evaluated, the genotypes FRF PIR 075.08, ITA 10.128.09, and FRF FC 104.01, have superior fruit quality, showing greater potential to become recommended cultivars for cultivation in the Serrana region of Rio Grande do Sul, together with the cultivar Pircinque.

The choice of cultivars to be used by strawberry farmers is essential since it could determine the success of the crop. The present study aimed to evaluate the productive and qualitative performance of strawberry genotypes grown in Vacaria, RS, Brazil. Twelve strawberry genotypes were compared, constituting the different treatments: cultivars Strawberry Festival, Oso Grande, Jonica, and Pircinque, and selections FRF PA3, FRF CE 51, FRF CE 56, FRF PIR 29, FRF PIR 54, FRF 85.04, FRF 149.18, and FRF 102.21. The seedlings were transplanted on May 13, 2014, in a semi-hydroponic cultivation system, adopting a randomized block design with four blocks and an experimental unit of ten useful plants. The variables evaluated were the number of fruits, total production per plant, productivity, commercial productivity, fresh fruit mass, commercial percentage, soluble solids, titratable acidity, soluble solids to total acidity ratio, pulp firmness, and production seasonality. The mean values ​​were subjected to an analysis of variance and multivariate analysis, and their means were compared by the Scott-Knott test at a 5% error probability. Cultivar Strawberry Festival and selection FRF 102.21 showed higher productions (1138 g plant-1 nd 1019 g plant-1, respectively) and quantities of fruits produced (85 un plant-1 and 87 un plant-1, respectively). Cultivar Jonica and selection FRF 85.4 showed higher percentages of marketable fruits. The Pircinque cultivar was prominent for sugar content, presenting a value 24% superior to the general average of the cultivars. Cultivars Strawberry Festival, Jonica, and Pircinque and selection FRF 102.21 showed the highest qualitative and quantitative gains for the region of Vacaria, RS, Brazil.