The effect of photoperiod on the rate of development of two everbearer strawberry cultivars raised from seed: implications for speed breeding

Everbearer strawberries are of particular interest due to their ability to continuously produce fruit throughout the year, thus enhancing the potential for increased yield.
The efficiency of breeding of improved everbearer cultivars can be greatly increased by optimising the environment to reduce the time from sowing to seed production.
However, the impact of photoperiod on the rate of growth and development remains unclear.
Here we report on an experiment designed to investigate the impact of photoperiod on the rate of growth and development of strawberry plants raised from seed.
F₁ seeds of two everbearer cultivars, ‘Rowena’ and ‘Soraya’, were grown under four photoperiod regimes (12, 16, 20 and 24 h of light) each maintained under the same natural high light conditions for 12 h with photoperiod extension under low intensity, far red enriched led lighting, at a constant temperature of 21°C in a controlled environment glasshouse.
The results are discussed in relation to optimising photoperiod conditions to accelerate the growth cycle of everbearer strawberries.

X International Strawberry Symposium

Y. Sun, P. Hadley, C. Twitchen

photoperiod, controlled environment, germination, everbearing strawberries, speeding breeding

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2026.1465.48