The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of strawberry (Fragariaxc3x97ananassaDuchesne) plant which is named xe2x80x98Earlibritexe2x80x99 and more particularly to a strawberry plant that is distinguished by its compact plant habit and its high early season (December through February) production of large, bright red fruit when grown in a mild (subtropical) winter climate. Asexual propagation was performed at Dover, Fla. where the selection was made and plants were tested. Contrast is made to xe2x80x98Sweet Charliexe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,729) and xe2x80x98Camarosaxe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,708), standard varieties, for reliable description. This new variety is a promising candidate for commercial success in that it has high early season fruit production like xe2x80x98Sweet Charliexe2x80x99, but tends to have larger and firmer fruit than xe2x80x98Sweet Charliexe2x80x99.
This strawberry plant (genotype) originated in a strawberry breeding plot at Dover, Fla. The seed parent was xe2x80x98Rosa Lindaxe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,866), a strawberry variety with a desirable fruit shape and high early season yield potential. The pollen parent was FL 90-38, a non-patented University of Florida breeding selection with an ability to produce attractive fruit early in the season. The seeds resulting from the controlled hybridization were germinated in a greenhouse and the resulting seedlings were planted and allowed to produce daughter plants by asexual propagation (i.e. by runners). Two daughter plants from each seedling were transplanted to raised beds, where they fruited. xe2x80x98Earlibritexe2x80x99 strawberry (as represented by two daughter plants from the original seedling) exhibited large attractive fruit, and therefore was selected for further evaluation. xe2x80x98Earlibritexe2x80x99 was selected from among 207 sibling genotypes as the 100th selection of the 1993-94 season, and thus was designated FL 93-100. It has been asexually propagated by runners, annually, and further test plantings have established that the vegetative and fruit characteristics of the propagules are identical to the initial two daughter plants.
xe2x80x98Earlbritexe2x80x99, when grown in a subtropical fall and winter climate, is set apart from all other strawberry plants by a combination of three characteristics: compact plant habit, large fruit (averaging greater than 20 gram per berry), and high November through February production (approximately 20,000 pounds of marketable fruit per acre in commercial trials).