The Genetic Diversity of Strawberry Species, the Underutilized Gene Pool and the Need for Cultivars with New Quality and Agronomic Attributes

Abstract

The growing increase in global strawberry production and consumption has been spectacular during this century. In 2019, 396,401 ha were planted, and 8.9 million tons of fruit were produced globally, and more than 50% of that volume was in the subtropical climate. The problems and losses caused by diseases and pests are of global importance, particularly with root and crown diseases, the severity and spread of which has been magnified by the cancelation of certain soil fumigants, and by the susceptibility to one or more of the parasites of the group of cultivars currently planted. The use of the genetic reservoir available both in the cultivated species, as in the 26 wild species, is a formidable wealth of genes, partially collected, and characterized, which can be of fundamental importance to introduce new genetic combinations into modern commercial cultivars and to redesign them, so that they have a greater adaptation to stresses caused by biotic and abiotic factors, in addition to an important improvement in the nutraceutical quality of the fruit. This chapter documents the importance of this gene pool in the development of elite cultivars with these qualities.