Evaluation of the productive and quality performance of different strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) varieties grown in Santiago del Estero, Argentina

The agronomic performance and quality of different strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) varieties produced in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, were studied. The following varieties were evaluated in 2023 and 2024 under semi-forced cultivation and bioinputs: Rociera (RO), Frontera (FR), Sahara (SH), Savana (SV), and Sabrina (SB). Thirty strawberries of each variety were randomly harvested, with 70% red coloration. The crop performance was evaluated by yield production (kg ha^-1) and fruit quality was determined through tiritable acidity (TA), expressed in mg 100 g citric acid^-1, soluble solids (SSs) by refractometry, and expressed as a percentage, firmness (with texturometer) expressed in Newtons (N), and instrumental color (using a colorimeter), determining L* (luminosity), a* (red-green color), and b* (blue-yellow color). All determinations were performed in triplicate. The results showed higher yield production in FR (47.150 kg ha^-1), followed by RO (40.749 kg ha^-1). TA ranged from 0.66% to 0.88%, depending on the variety, with SV having the highest TA in both sets (0.87%). As for SS, all varieties presented values above the minimum acceptable (>7%) in both seasons. The highest values were recorded for the varieties 9.33% (RO) and 9.16% (SH) in 2023 and 8.1% (SV) and 9.77% (SH) in 2024. The FR variety presented higher firmness values in both seasons, while SH varied between 1.18 and 1.54 g in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Regarding color, the L* of fruit harvested in 2023 was higher than in 2024 for all varieties, while a* values were higher in 2024 than in 2023. With the results obtained, we can indicate that the evaluated varieties had good productive performance, especially the FR and RO varieties, through viable production yields, evidencing the potential of this crop as an intensive production alternative for agricultural diversification in the region, and for Santiago del Estero, Argentina, where this crop is not yet commercially exploited.