Dr. Vance Whitaker, the strawberry breeder at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, has announced two new strawberry varieties for 2025: Ember™ and Encore™. These varieties are being introduced to strawberry growers in Central Florida, along with recommendations for optimal management.

Dr. Whitaker’s team, including plant pathologist Dr. Natalia Peres and physiologist Dr. Shinsuke Agehara, has developed research-based guidelines for growers.

Ember™

Ember™ was primarily released for its increased resistance to Pestalotia, a significant leaf spot and root rot disease in Central Florida. It also boasts a steady yield, robust disease resistance, suitability for organic production, and a sweet flavor comparable to the industry-leading Medallion™ variety. It has a number of characteristics that are expected to boost its popularity in the coming years.

Encore™

Encore™, named for its improvements over the Brilliance variety, offers enhanced Phytophthora resistance, larger fruit size, better fruit durability, rain resistance, improved pollination, and superior flavor.

Dr. Whitaker says these two varieties show promise:

One positive for both varieties, Ember and Encore, is that they have more robust and a little bit more resilient plants than most of our current varieties, which makes them a little bit easier to grow and establish.”

Planting Dates

The planting dates for these two varieties are slightly different:

• Ember™: Recommended planting between October 1st and October 15th.
• Encore™: Recommended planting from October 10th on wards to prevent overgrowth.

Nutrient Recommendations

Dr. Agehara’s fertilization trials indicate that both varieties have moderate nitrogen requirements, offering flexibility in fertilization based on planting date and soil conditions. This is in contrast to varieties like Sensation™, which require less nitrogen, and Medallion™, which demands almost twice as much.

Disease Resistance

Dr. Peres’s research shows that Ember™ has the best overall disease resistance package, making it highly recommended for organic production. It is moderately susceptible to Pestalotia, unlike Brilliance™, which is highly susceptible. Encore™ also has good disease resistance but is slightly more susceptible to Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, which causes crown rots.

Summation

Ember™ and Encore™ offers some nice complementary characteristics but require different management strategies for disease prevention, planting dates and nutrients requirements. For more information or questions on optimizing these varieties in Central Florida, please contact Dr. Vance Whitaker at vwhitaker@ufl.edu.

Production: IFAS Communications Video
Camera: Luke Humphlett
Production Assistance: Marc Turchin
Editor: Al Williamson

1