Post-harvest of strawberry accessions in the South Minas Gerais

ABSTRACT There is great demand for new cultivars adapted for production in a national climate, which creates a certain dependence of national strawberry growers on imported cultivars. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate quality and morphological characteristics of fruits from strawberry genotypes. Strawberry accessions were provided by the Germplasm Bank of the Federal University of Lavras. The experiment was implemented in the Experimentation and Olericulture sector of the José do Rosário Vellano University (UNIFENAS). The experimental design used was in randomized blocks, with 12 treatments and 3 replications, totaling 36 experimental units. The 12 treatments consisted of seven genotypes and five commercial cultivars positioned in 29 slabs, in protected cultivation. The genotypes MFA12-443 and MCA12-89 stood out in terms of fruit size (p<0.000), presenting the highest values for length (41.06 mm), width (32.60 mm) and thickness (27.84 mm), while not differed from each other for these values. These genotypes are better suited for the fresh market, with quality characteristics that are more appreciated by consumers. All genotypes presented higher levels than 7ºBrix (p= 0.000) indicated for commercialization in the market. The tested accessions showed quality and aptitude for production in the southern region of Minas Gerais.