North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Philip Stewart <philstewart24@yahoo.com>]

I think you're confused about this. Essentially all
commercial strawberries are octoploid, and will stay
octoploid forever. Changes in ploidy are very rare,
and decreases in ploidy level would be even more rare.
Besides, triploid strawberries don't have large, good
tasting berries--it probably wouldn't have any, and if
it did they'd be small and malformed.

Strange changes have been seen through mutation,
particularly in plants that have gone through tissue
culture (for example, I recall a story about lots of
'ArKing' strawberries with tiny berries).  However,
most of the loss of fruit size and productivity is
just the result of old plants, no longer at their
peaks.

Jim Fruth said:

    It also helps to know the ploidy of the plants. 
Octaploid and
tetraploid will, eventually revert back to diploid
resulting in tiny
berries.  If you plant a triploid, with its three sets
of chromosomes, 
it
can't ever revert back and there will be no need to
replant.  Back in 
the
early 70's, I had a triploid variety (be darned if I
can remember its 
name
though) and we had beautiful, large, good tasting
berries until we sold 
the
place in 1984.
-- 

Jim Fruth
Brambleberry Farm
Pequot Lakes, MN
www.bberryfarm.com
Jams, Jellies and Syrups
(218)568-8483 [Store]
(218)831-7018 [My cell]

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