Inheritance of ascorbic acid content in strawberry [Fragaria] fruits

Fruits from 10 groups of strawberry progenies, each, derived from inbreeding and outcrossing between parents having high and low ascorbic acid contents were analyzed for ascorbic acid content and their examined for inheritance patterns. The correlations between ascorbic acid and sugar contents and composition were estimated. Ascorbic acid content was inherited almost quantitatively, but partial dominance was expressed by some outcrossing progenies. Heritability of 10 progenies ranged from 0.712 to 0.903. The frequency of seedlings with higher ascorbic acid content than parental varieties was found in progenies derived from reciprocal crosses between 'Sachinoka' and 'Akasha no mitsuko'; both parents possess high ascorbic acid content. Ascorbic acid content correlated positively with sugar content, especially with that of sucrose. Hence, it may be possible to select breeding materials having high ascorbic acid by selecting those with high sucrose content that contribute to excellent taste. Our data indicate that to estimate heritability of ascorbic acid content from inbreeding and outcrossing of parental strawberry cultivars, fruits from only 30 progenies need to be analyzed.