Abstract:
`Capitola` is a new day-neutral type of strawberry variety with perhaps the highest potentiality for yield of any cultivar yet released. It is also noteworthy for large fruit size, symmetry, attractive appearance and general flexiblity in planting requirements.

Description:
DESCRIPTION 
     This invention relates to a new and distinctive day-neutral type strawberry cultivar designated as `Capitola` which is the result of a cross between CA 75.121-101×Parker (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,263), made in 1983. 
     `Capitola` first fruited at the University of California Wolfskill Experimental Orchards near Davis, Calif. in 1984, where it was selected and designated originally as CA 83.93-6. It was tested later as advanced selection CN 93. 
     `Capitola` has been propagated asexually by runners and has been tested at various University of California field stations and research facilities and to a very limited extent in growers&#39; fields under Test Agreement. 
    
    
     In the photographs: 
     FIG. 1 shows typical growth, flowering and fruiting characteristics of the plant. 
     FIG. 2 shows a typical midsummer mature leaf from a plant in full fruit. 
     FIG. 3 shows representative early-season fruit with longitudinal and cross-sectional views. 
    
    
     `Capitola` commences fruiting about three months after planting, whether fresh dug or cold storage plants are used, regardless of planting time provided that satisfactory growing conditions prevail. `Capitola` is a stronger day-neutral than `Selva` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,266), or `Muir` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,558), but not quite as strong as `Hecker` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,507) or `Fern` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,267). The difference is most evident in the nursery where the mother and most of the daughter plants tend to flower and fruit whereas only the daughter plants of `Selva` tend to flower and fruit. `Capitola` is heterozygous for the day-neutral trait. 
     Plants and foliage 
     Fruiting `Capitola` plants are larger and somewhat more erect in growth flowering habit than those of `Selva` but less erect in flowering habit than `Muir` or `Irvine`. Foliar characteristics from mid-summer 1988 central coast grown fruiting plants of `Capitola` are compared with those of `Irvine`, `Muir`, `Selva`, and `Fern` in Table 1. 
     
                       TABLE 1______________________________________CAPI-        IR-TOLA         VINE     MUIR     SELVA  FERN______________________________________Munsell 7.5GY4/  7.5GY4/  2.5GY4/                            7.5GY4/                                   7.5GY4/Color   4        4        3      4      4Shape   1.17     1.10     1.02   1.10   1.14(length/width)Base    55°            53°                     60°                            55°                                   50°angle ofterminalleafletSize of 90       76       84     81     76terminalleafletsSerrations   11.2     9.4      11.2   11.2   12.0of terminalleafletsPetiolule   6.6      6.6      6.6    10.4   6.4length(MM)Petiole 209      150      137    152    154length(MM)______________________________________ 
    
     As shown above `Capitola` leaves are about the same color as those of `Selva`, `Fern` and `Irvine` but lighter and more yellow than those of `Muir` (Munsell Color System--Nickerson Color Fan). Terminal leaflets are only slightly longer in relation to width than those of `Selva`, `Fern` or `Irvine` but less round than those of `Muir` as shown by the length/width measurement and half-blade terminal leaflet basal angle. `Capitola` terminal leaflets are somewhat larger than those of the comparison cultivars as determined by extracting the square root of the length×width measurements. Terminal leaflet serration numbers are about the same as those for all the comparison cultivars except `Irvine` which has less. The length of the terminal leaflet petiolules of `Capitola` is about the same as those of all the comparison cultivars except `Selva` which has longer ones. `Capitola` plants are considerably larger than those of any of the comparision cultivars as indicated by petiole length. Similar to `Irvine`, bract leaflets are rare on `Capitola`. Runner production in nursery plants of `Capitola` is quite good, about equal or better than for `Selva` and `Muir`. 
     Isozymes in leaf extracts 
     `Capitola` has been classified for three enzyme systems by starch gel electrophoresis: A. Phosphoglucoisomerase (PGI); B. Leucine Amino Peptidase (LAP); and C. Phosphoglucomutase (PGM); and the results are compared with those for other day-neutral California cultivars in Table 2. 
     
                       TABLE 2______________________________________   CAPITOLA &amp; MRAK  IRVINE    MUIR______________________________________PGI     A1               A3        A2LAP     B3               B1        B1PGM     C2               C1        C2______________________________________ SELVA    HECKER    APTOS &amp; BRIGHTON                                  YOLO______________________________________PGI   A2       A1        A4            A1LAP   B3       B1        B3            B1PGM   C2       C4        C4            C2______________________________________ 
    
     Thus, `Capitola` with the pattern A1, B3 and C2 can be distinguished from all other U. C. day-neutrals with these three systems except `Mrak` to which it is identical. For the procedure: J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 106:684-687, 1981). 
     Disease and pest reaction 
     `Capitola` is highly resistant to (tolerant of) the virus diseases common in California including &#34;Mild Yellow Edge&#34; and complexes containing it and is quite susceptible to common leaf spot (Ramularia), and is moderately susceptible to the two-spotted mite. 
     Flowering, fruiting, fruit and production characteristics 
     `Capitola` is similar to California day-neutral cultivars `Selva` and `Muir` in that with a minimum of conditioning, it will flower and fruit anytime, effectively independent of day length. Flowers are borne on long, relatively thick peduncles, much less erect as those of `Muir` or `Irvine` but more erect than those of `Selva`. The flowers have large petals averaging about six. `Capitola` is self-fertile providing ample pollen throughout the season and pollination is generally good as relatively few malformed fruit form. 
     All of our measurements show that `Capitola` is capable of yielding more than any of the other day-neutral and short-day type cultivars that we know of and with fruit size as large or larger on the average as that of `Selva` (Tables 3, and 4). `Capitola` may have as low or lower a chilling requirement than `Selva` and it might be possible to plant it earlier than `Selva` with favorable results. 
     `Capitola` fruit shape is characteristically symmetrically medium conic. The frluit of `Capitola` is less firm than that of most of the other day-neutral cultivars as measured by a penetrometer equipped with a &#34;Hunter Force Gauge&#34; (Tables 4 and 5). `Capitola` fruit quality characteristics (ascorbic acid, soluble solids, titratable acid and color) are compared with those of `Chandler`, `Douglas`, `Irvine`, `Oso Grande`, and `Selva` from plants grown under optimum conditions under the &#34;hill&#34; system in winter plantings at the University of California Strawberry Research Facility, Watsonville, in Table 5. Table 3. Comparing the 1988 harvest of `Capitola` over eight winter plantings and the 1989 harvest over four with those of appropriate cultivars at Watsonville. Means with the same letter not significantly different (5%). 
     
         ______________________________________    TOT    YLD      SIZE    FIRM   AP     PERF*ITEM     G/PL     G/FR    PENET  SCORE  SCORE______________________________________1988 HarvestCapitola 1758 a   23.9 a  6.3 cd 3.5 a  35.5 aFern     1381 a   20.2 c  6.1 d  3.1 cd 31.4 bcIrvine   1309 bc  21.6 b  7.8 a  3.2 c  33.1 abSelva    1305 bc  22.3 b  7.8 a  3.3 b  33.4 abMuir     1090 cd  21.6 b  7.2 b  3.1 cd 29.9 cdMrak     1081 cd  17.6 d  6.5 c  3.0 d  27.9 dYolo      938 d   19.3 c  7.1 b  3.0 d  27.2 d1989 HarvestCapitola 2725 a   26.5 a  4.4 e  2.8 l  45.1 aOso Grande    1788 bc  26.9 a  6.6 a  3.1 b  38.4 bcIrvine   1710 bc  21.8 b  6.5 abc                            2.9 cd 35.4 cdSelva    1528 c   22.6 b  6.6 ab 3.1 bc 34.3 dMuir     1523 c   22.1 b  6.0 c  2.9 d  33.2 dChandler 1491 c   25.6 a  5.3 d  3.4 a  34.2 d______________________________________ *Performance Score =- ##STR1## 
    
     
                       TABLE 4______________________________________Comparing the 1987 harvest of `Capitola` with that of 3 standardshort-day type cultivars and 3 day-neutral cultivars in a summerplanting made at Watsonville 3 Sept. 86.______________________________________                       TOT   G/PL BY 6 WKS ENDING                       YLDCULTIVAR  5/6      617     7/29   9/16  G/PL______________________________________Chandler  436      917     576    297   2227Oso Grande     500      638     241    177   1559Pajaro    423      621     300    202   1548Capitola   21      985     774    558   2339Muir      359      596     332    232   1521Selva     417      522     266    219   1425Yolo      451      311     166    105   1034______________________________________    TOT    YLD     SIZE    FIRM   AP.     PERF.*CULTIVAR S.D.    G/FR    PENET  SCORE   SCORE______________________________________Chandler 255     16.5    4.7    3.1     37Oso Grande    49      20.5    6.3    2.9     32Pajaro   85      19.8    5.2    3.1     32Capitola 67      26.0    5.1    3.5     44Muir     36      22.3    5.4    3.1     33Selva    287     22.1    6.0    3.1     32Yolo     17      19.2    4.9    3.5     26______________________________________ *Performance Score ##STR2## 
    
     
                       TABLE 5______________________________________Fruit quality measurements and color, Watsonville 8 May 1989.Means with same letter not significantly different (5%)    ASCORBIC    SOL      TIT.    ACID        SOLIDS   ACIDCULTIVAR mg/100 g    %        %      COLOR______________________________________Chandler 51 a        7.3 a    0.69 b 5R4/12Douglas  43 bc       6.8 b    0.72 b 6R4/12Irvine   41 cd       6.9 ab   0.66 bc                                7R5/14Oso Grande    40 cd       5.7 c    0.52 d 7.5R4.5/11Capitola 39 d        6.7 b    0.91 a 5R4/12Selva    33 e        7.1 ab   0.59 cd                                7R4/11______________________________________ 
    
     `Capitola` fruit averaged almost as high in ascorbic acid content as `Douglas`, `Irvine`, `Irvine` and `Oso Grande`, less than `Chandler`, but more than `Selva` as measured by the Loeffler and Ponting method (1942J. Indust. and Engin. Chem. 14:846). `Capitola` fruit was in the middle grouping on soluble solids but highest of all in titratable acids (ibid). 
     The fruit skin color is about the same as that of `Chandler`, `Pajaro` or `Douglas` (ibid). The flesh color is about the same as that of the skin. The achenes are bright yellow to slightly reddish, positioned about flush with the skin surface. The calyx is medium to large sized, positioned about even with the base of the fruit. 
     The flavor of `Capitola` is pleasantly sub-acid as good or better than that of `Selva` and is slightly more juicy. The fruit is recommended for fresh market and processing, for commercial planting and home gardening, particularly where &#34;off season&#34; fruiting is desirable. The only cultivars that `Capitol` resembles closely in performance are `Selva` and `Muir` and consequently it is of interest wherever they are currently grown.