Abstract
The screening of everbearing seedlings from a progeny population of F1 and S1, and inheritance of the everbearing habit in strawberry cultivars, were investigated under a 24-hour daylength condition. The everbearing seedlings were distinguished from June-bearing seedlings with high accuracy under the 24-hour daylength condition. From the segregation ratio of everbearing seedlings in the progeny populations of F1 and S1, it was shown that the everbearing habit is regulated by a single dominant gene. All everbearing cultivars in this study were heterozygous for the everbearing gene. Also, it was concluded that older everbearers and day-neutrals have the everbearing gene at the same locus. Everbearing seedlings were smaller in leaf blade and thinner in leaf petiole diameter than June-bearing seedlings. There was wide variation in the nodal position and flowering date of the first inflorescence among everbearing seedlings of F1 and S1 progenies. The everbearing seedlings of F1 between everbearers and June-bearer had a tendency to exhibit a later flowering date and higher nodal position of the first inflorescence than those of F1 between everbearers and everbearers. The heritability of the flowering date of the first inflorescence in everbearing seedlings was estimated to be 0.275 and 0.498 in 2008 and 2009, respectively, by parent-offspring regression.
