Storage of halved strawberry fruits affects aroma, phytochemical content and gene expression

Strawberry fruit has a short postharvest shelf life because it is very perishable and susceptible to several pathogens that quickly reduce the quality of the fruit. A large part of Huelva's strawberry production is exported, so the shelf life of the fruit is one of the main factors that determines the quality of the fruit when it reaches its destination. The aim of this work was to explore the relationship between postharvest shelf life and the agronomic and quality traits in different strawberry genotypes during several seasons. For this, the postharvest shelf life, early and total yield, soluble solids content, fruit firmness and the content of sugars and organic acids were quantified during four consecutive seasons (2016-2019). First, the relationships of the shelf life with the other variables were explored through a principal components analysis (PCA). Subsequently, the variables that showed a stronger association with the shelf life were analysed in more detail by correlation and linear regression analysis. The PCA showed a positive relationship of the shelf life with the acid content and with fruit firmness measured with penetrometer and subjectively. Specifically, the correlation between the shelf life and firmness (measured with a penetrometer and subjectively) and the total acid was 0.59, 0.48 and 0.53, respectively. In conclusion, the variables of firmness and acid content can be useful to select genotypes in a strawberry breeding program with an increased shelf life.