Firmness and drained weight of fruit of 19 strawberry clones

Plots of 19 clones of strawberry (Fragaria xananassa Duch,) were planted in 1996, Fruit of 16 clones were harvested in 1997 and fruit of 11 of the same clones plus three additional clones in 1998, Individual plots were harvested on three or four dates in 1997 and from three to seven dates in 1998, Fruit firmness was determined with a penetrometer at harvest, and additional samples were processed and frozen for subsequent determination of percentage of drained weight. Clones differed in firmness in both years and in drained weight in 1998, but not in 1997, Drained weight varied considerably from harvest-to-harvest. Correlations between firmness and drained weight were significant (P less than or equal to 0.01) in both years, but firmness was not a good predictor of drained weight. The correlation between drained weight of fruits in 1997 and those of fruits from the same plots in 1998 was nonsignificant, but that between firmness in 1997 and firmness in 1998 was significant at P less than or equal to 0.05.