“Feng Hsiang豐香” Strawberry ( Taoyuan No. 1 )
The “Feng Hsiang” has become the most popular strawberry grown in Taiwan ever since the introduction from Japan in 1985, renamed in 1990 and extended by Taoyuan District Agricultural Research and Extension Station (for more than three decades).
It is a robust cultivar with features of spreading growth habit, medium density of foliage, green upper side leaf, white upper side petal, medium flowering time; conical shape, medium-size red fruit, light read flesh, and white core.
Harvest of this midseason variety starts in early January. The rich flavor and fragrance with medium hardness and high sugar content (10-12 degrees Brix) have made the cultivar widely favored. However, the plant is vulnerable to low temperatures and pests as well as a number of diseases in addition to a high deviation of shape during ripening. Despite those concerns, its high yield and resistance to rough storage/transportation make “Feng Hsiang” a popular cultivar still.
“Hsiang Shui香水” Strawberry
Hsiang Shui” was bred by local farmers and has gained popularity next to “Feng Hsiang” for its toughness, comparatively more tolerant to weather and better diseases resistance. It is characterized by a semi-upright growth habit, green leaf, and medium density of foliage with white petals. The early flowering and high yield features allow mid-early season harvesting begins in mid-December.
The fruit has a red conical shape in medium-size and shows a pink flesh and core with a distinct pleasant scent and sweet fruity flavor (sugar content about 8-10 degrees Brix depending on rainfall). Its medium hardness texture is losing during ripening and the softness is also a difficulty in storage and transportation. Farmers grow 'Hsiang Shui' and 'Feng Hsiang' respectively to get the best advantages of those two different strawberry cultivars. As the spring in Taiwan becomes hotter and more humid, some farmers began to switch to cultivate “Hsiang Shui” to accommodate climate change.
In Miaoli County, Feng Hsiang was popular prior to 2014, accounted for 80% of total cultivars and 20% for Hsiang Shui. However, climate change and weakening of variety has drawn attention to the economic traits of disease resistance making Hsiang Shui more attractive to local producers.
Furthermore, Hsiang Shui can be harvested a month earlier with an equivalent yield of Feng Hsiang; these benefits are getting considerable appreciations and turning the percentage ratio of planting Hsiang Shui / Feng Hsiang to 55/45 in 2019 and may reach 70/30 in 2020.
Main strawberry varieties in Taiwan
“Feng Hsiang豐香” Strawberry ( Taoyuan No. 1 )
The “Feng Hsiang” has become the most popular strawberry grown in Taiwan ever since the introduction from Japan in 1985, renamed in 1990 and extended by Taoyuan District Agricultural Research and Extension Station (for more than three decades).
It is a robust cultivar with features of spreading growth habit, medium density of foliage, green upper side leaf, white upper side petal, medium flowering time; conical shape, medium-size red fruit, light read flesh, and white core.
Harvest of this midseason variety starts in early January. The rich flavor and fragrance with medium hardness and high sugar content (10-12 degrees Brix) have made the cultivar widely favored. However, the plant is vulnerable to low temperatures and pests as well as a number of diseases in addition to a high deviation of shape during ripening. Despite those concerns, its high yield and resistance to rough storage/transportation make “Feng Hsiang” a popular cultivar still.
“Hsiang Shui香水” Strawberry
Hsiang Shui” was bred by local farmers and has gained popularity next to “Feng Hsiang” for its toughness, comparatively more tolerant to weather and better diseases resistance. It is characterized by a semi-upright growth habit, green leaf, and medium density of foliage with white petals. The early flowering and high yield features allow mid-early season harvesting begins in mid-December.
The fruit has a red conical shape in medium-size and shows a pink flesh and core with a distinct pleasant scent and sweet fruity flavor (sugar content about 8-10 degrees Brix depending on rainfall). Its medium hardness texture is losing during ripening and the softness is also a difficulty in storage and transportation. Farmers grow 'Hsiang Shui' and 'Feng Hsiang' respectively to get the best advantages of those two different strawberry cultivars. As the spring in Taiwan becomes hotter and more humid, some farmers began to switch to cultivate “Hsiang Shui” to accommodate climate change.
In Miaoli County, Feng Hsiang was popular prior to 2014, accounted for 80% of total cultivars and 20% for Hsiang Shui. However, climate change and weakening of variety has drawn attention to the economic traits of disease resistance making Hsiang Shui more attractive to local producers.
Furthermore, Hsiang Shui can be harvested a month earlier with an equivalent yield of Feng Hsiang; these benefits are getting considerable appreciations and turning the percentage ratio of planting Hsiang Shui / Feng Hsiang to 55/45 in 2019 and may reach 70/30 in 2020.