Chandler
A classic short-day variety from the University of California, Davis, with bright red, conical, moderately firm fruit and reliable flowering — long grown in the Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand hills.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Strawberry
- Type
- Runner plant (tissue-culture / certified)
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- ~150–170 days
- Expected yield
- Good, moderate-to-high
- Suitable soil
- Well-drained sandy loam on a raised, black-plastic-mulched bed
- Release
- Bred by the University of California, Davis (cross made 1977); released 1983
About this variety
Chandler was bred by the University of California, Davis and released in 1983, from a 1977 cross of 'Douglas' × Cal 72.361-105 (designated C55); it first fruited at the university's Wolfskill Experimental Orchards near Davis in 1979. A classic short-day variety, it produces bright red, conical, moderately firm fruit with reliable, heavy flowering under the cool, short-day conditions typical of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand hill cultivation, where it has been grown for decades alongside newer releases such as Camarosa. It is not an ICAR-bred Indian variety — Indian growers use it as an established, long-trusted imported cultivar, multiplied through certified hill nurseries.
Key characteristics
Sowing & cultivation
- Spacing30×30 cm on raised beds 1–1.2 m wide, through black plastic mulch
- FertilizerFYM plus basal P and K at bed preparation; nitrogen split at ~3 weeks and at flowering, full potash at flowering (see the crop guide for the full schedule)
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Well-drained sandy loam rich in organic matter, pH 5.7–6.5
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
~150–170 days
Expected yield
Good, moderate-to-high
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
Major pests
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- A very long, proven track record specifically in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand hill cultivation, where growers and nurseries know its needs well.
- Reliable, heavy flowering under the cool, short-day hill conditions it was bred for.
Things to consider
- Not an ICAR-bred Indian release — nearly 45 years old now, and newer varieties such as Camarosa or Winter Dawn can out-yield it in some tracts.
- No specific documented resistance to grey mould, red stele or anthracnose; standard raised-bed, drip-and-mulch management applies.
Suitable regions
An imported American cultivar, not an ICAR release, long grown in the Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand hills and still common there and on the northern plains.
- Himachal Pradesh
- Uttarakhand
- Punjab
- Haryana
Frequently asked questions
Why is Chandler still grown in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand despite being an older variety?
It has a very long, proven track record in the hills specifically — its short-day breeding suits the cool hill winter well, and local growers and nurseries are thoroughly familiar with how it flowers and fruits there, even as newer varieties are also planted alongside it.
Sourced from: Strawberry Breeding Program Backgrounder: A Historical Timeline — UC Davis, US Plant Patent PP5262 — Strawberry plant 'Chandler'. editorial policy.