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Parentage
Cupid (formerly EM1395) was bred at East
Malling Research from a cross between EM786 and EM701, and was first
selected in 2002.
Season
Cupid produces its fruit at a similar time to Florence.
Fruit Quality
Berries are very attractive, glossy, bright orange-red in colour and
uniformly conic shaped. Skin has a good strength and shelf-life is
good. Brix levels are usually similar to Elsanta. Cupid has the
potential to produce excellent flavour, although it has been found
to be variable on some trial sites.
Yield and Fruit Size
Cupid has produced better main crop yields than Elsanta on both
covered and uncovered sites. 60-day yields have been lower than
Elsanta but better than Florence and Symphony. Class 1 percentages
are high with average berry size slightly smaller than Elsanta. The
berries have good rain tolerance.
Marketing Suitability
Suitable for both amateur and retail outlets.
Plant Characteristics
Plants are vigorous, the leaf canopy providing some useful
protection for the fruit on outdoor sites. Plant habit is compact
and fruit display good.
Disease Resistance
Cupid is exceptional in that it shows a useful level of resistance
to the four major strawberry diseases: wilt (Verticillium dahliae),
crown rot (Phytophthora cactorum), black spot (Colletotrichum
acutatum) and powdery mildew (Podosphaera aphanis).
Use of the Variety
Cupid is a late season variety with multiple disease resistance that
displays good fruit quality including bright orange/red colour, good
skin strength and regular berry shape. Some degree of rain
resistance has also been noted, all of which are advantageous for a
late season variety where good performance in unprotected production
is required.
Accreditations
The breeding of this variety was jointly
funded by the
Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra),
MEIOSIS Ltd. and the East Malling Trust for Horticultural Research.
The trialling of this variety was funded by MEIOSIS Ltd
and the Horticultural Development Council
(HDC). |
