| Marshall strawberry | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Species | Fragaria ananassa |
| Cultivar | 'Marshall' |
| Origin | Massachusetts, 1890 |
The Marshall strawberry is a cultivated variety of Fragaria ananassa , [1] that is known for an "exceptional" taste [2] and had been described as "the finest eating strawberry" in America. [1] [2]
The variety was discovered by Marshall F. Ewell of Massachusetts in 1890 [1] and flourished in the Pacific Northwest throughout the early part of the 20th century, where it was an important crop in the region's berry industry. The Marshall, or a group of closely related "Marshall-type" varieties, was also grown under the names Banner, Oregon Plum, Pacific, Dewey, and Oregon Improved. A chance seedling, the variety's parentage was unknown, but according to George M. Darrow may have involved similar, now-lost 19th century varieties such as Burbach and President Wilder, both of which were descended from the Hovey. [3]
The Marshall was, however, especially sensitive to virus diseases [4] and its commercial qualities were particularly harmed by gradual degeneration by the strawberry crinkle virus. [5] This susceptibility to disease meant that by the 1950s it had largely been displaced by other cultivars.
The Marshall strawberry is a midseason variety. It has relatively large leaves and large, deep red fruit [3] with soft flesh. [6] While drought tolerant, as noted above it has a high susceptibility to the crinkle virus.
Despite modern perceptions of the Marshall as having the finest strawberry flavour, some early 20th century writers compared its flavour unfavourably to the strawberry varieties of the mid-19th century: "We have few commercial varieties today that compare in quality with the Pines grown by the amateurs of that period. No modern sort has the exquisite flavor of Burr's New Pine, not even Marshall or William Belt, our acknowledged standards of excellence [...] Quality has been sacrificed to productiveness and firmness". [7] At the time, the Marshall was perceived as a commercial "sub-acid" variety, albeit of high quality, whose mild flavour was particularly popular with the general consumer. [8] [6] It was especially valued as its fruit retained their colour and flavour, if not their texture, after freezing.
The Marshall Strawberry is currently being maintained at the USDA National Clonal Germplasm Repository in Corvallis, Oregon, and by very few private growers. [9]
Renewing America's Food Traditions, a coalition of sustainable agriculture organizations, listed the Marshall strawberry as one of "700 plant and animal foods at risk of extinction". [10]
A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, red currants, white currants and blackcurrants. In Britain, soft fruit is a horticultural term for such fruits.
Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. There are more than 20 described species and many hybrids and cultivars. The most common strawberries grown commercially are cultivars of the garden strawberry, a hybrid known as Fragaria × ananassa. Strawberries have a taste that varies by cultivar, and ranges from quite sweet to rather tart. Strawberries are an important commercial fruit crop, widely grown in all temperate regions of the world.
The blackcurrant, also known as black currant or cassis, is a deciduous shrub in the family Grossulariaceae grown for its edible berries. It is native to temperate parts of central and northern Europe and northern Asia, where it prefers damp fertile soils. It is widely cultivated both commercially and domestically.
The garden strawberry is a widely grown hybrid species of the genus Fragaria, collectively known as the strawberries, which are cultivated worldwide for their fruit. The fruit is widely appreciated for its characteristic aroma, bright red color, juicy texture, and sweetness. It is consumed in large quantities, either fresh or in such prepared foods as jam, juice, pies, ice cream, milkshakes, and chocolates. Artificial strawberry flavorings and aromas are also widely used in products such as candy, soap, lip gloss, perfume, and many others.
The musk strawberry or hautbois strawberry, is a species of strawberry native to Europe. Its French name hautbois strawberry may be anglicised as hautboy strawberry. The plants are hardy and can survive in many weather conditions. They are cultivated commercially on a small scale, particularly in Italy. The fruit are small and round; they are used in the gourmet community for their intense aroma and flavour, which has been compared to a mixture of regular strawberry, raspberry and pineapple. Popular cultivated varieties include 'Capron' and 'Profumata di Tortona'.
Fragaria vesca, commonly called wild strawberry, woodland strawberry, Alpine strawberry, Carpathian strawberry, European strawberry, or fraisier des bois, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the rose family that grows naturally throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere, and that produces edible fruits.
Fragaria chiloensis, the beach strawberry, Chilean strawberry, or coastal strawberry, is one of two species of wild strawberry that were hybridized to create the modern garden strawberry. It is noted for its large berries. Its natural range is the Pacific Ocean coasts of North and South America, and also Hawaii. Migratory birds are thought to have dispersed F. chiloensis from the Pacific coast of North America to the mountains of Hawaii, Chile, and Argentina.
Fragaria daltoniana is a species of strawberry native to the Himalayas. Its fruit has a poor flavor, and is of no commercial value.
Fragaria nilgerrensis is a species of wild strawberry native to southern and southeast Asia. Its fruit are white to light pink, with poor flavour, and the fruit is of no commercial value. It is similar in appearance to F. moupinensis.
Fragaria nubicola is a species of wild strawberry native to the Himalayas. It is of no commercial value.
George McMillan Darrow (1889–1983) was an American horticulturist and the foremost authority on strawberries. He worked for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA-ARS) for forty-six years as the pomologist in charge of research on deciduous fruit production, and authored a multitude of papers on planting and cultivating small fruits.
Strawberry vein banding virus (SVBV) is a plant pathogenic virus and a member of the family Caulimoviridae.
The 'Edward' mango is a named mango cultivar that originated in south Florida.
The 'Cushman' mango is a mango cultivar that originated in south Florida. The variety had limited to no commercial application but has been sold as a dooryard tree.
The 'Fairchild' mango is a commercially grown mango cultivar originating in Panama. The 'Fairchild Emerald' mango is a named mango cultivar that originated in southwest Florida.
The National Clonal Germplasm Repository is a branch of the Agricultural Research Service research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Repository is a gene bank that preserves genetic resources by various means, including cryopreservation. There are nine clonal repositories located in appropriate locations throughout the United States. Germplasm of citrus plants and dates are preserved in Riverside, California, a distribution center for grapes, temperate fruit, walnut, almond and pistachio nuts is located in Davis, California, and the repository for temperate small fruit, berries, pears, hazelnut, butternut and specialty crops is located in Corvallis, Oregon. The base gene bank for the USDA National Germplasm System is the National Center for Germplasm Preservation at Ft. Collins, CO. This center holds seeds of agronomic crops, cryopreserved clonal plant materials, animal and bacterial germplasm.
The breeding of strawberries started with the selection and cultivation of European strawberry species in western Europe in the 15th century while a similar discovery and cultivation occurred in Chile. The most commonly consumed strawberry species in modern times is the garden strawberry, a species derived from hybridization of two other species, with the scientific name Fragaria × ananassa, but there are many species of strawberries, several others of which are cultivated to some extent. The strawberry species fall into several different genetic types, based on their number of chromosomes. Strawberry growers have employed many breeding techniques, starting with traditional plant breeding and then moving on to molecular breeding and genetic engineering in the 20th century.
Fragaria cascadensis, is a species of strawberry (Fragaria), found in the Cascades Mountains described in 2012. The vernacular name "Cascade strawberry" was suggested by the describing author.
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