Nabila
Bred by Consorzio Italiano Vivaisti (CIV), Italy, from Ventana × a CIV selection, for Mediterranean and other low-chill places. At Mahabaleshwar (2016) it gave 735 g a plant (29.42 t/ha) and the highest TSS, 12.46%. The patent records 30 g fruit and 850–900 g a plant in Italy.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Strawberry
- Type
- Runner plant (tissue-culture / certified)
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- ~150–170 days
- Expected yield
- 735 g a plant (29.42 t/ha) at Mahabaleshwar, 2016; 850–900 g a plant in the Italian patent.
- Suitable soil
- Well-drained sandy loam rich in organic matter, pH 5.7–6.5
- Disease resistance
- No specific resistance claimed
- Release
- Bred by Consorzio Italiano Vivaisti (CIV), Italy; first propagated 2004
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Nabila was bred by Consorzio Italiano Vivaisti (CIV), Italy, from a controlled cross between Ventana and a CIV selection, Q6Q8-26. It was tested for 2005 to 2010 in Mediterranean-climate and other low-chill areas of Europe. The patent describes a large, conical fruit, 58 mm long and 47 mm wide, with an average weight of 30 g, firm flesh and 7 °Brix. It does not fruit again after the main crop. Marketable yield was about 850–900 g a plant, with harvest from the first week of March to the last week of May at Battipaglia. In India the best record is the Mahabaleshwar trial of 2016: 37.28 fruits of 19.64 g, 735 g a plant (29.42 t/ha), TSS 12.46%, the highest of four varieties. We found no published trial of Nabila in Odisha or Chhattisgarh.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Nabila if you farm around Mahabaleshwar or similar conditions and want a sweeter berry: it had the highest TSS of four varieties, 12.46%, and 735 g a plant in the 2016 trial, against 540 g for Camarosa. Do not choose it for the 30 g fruit in the patent: in India the fruit weighed 19.64 g. Choose Winter Dawn instead for more fruits a plant (39.20) and a tested planting window in Bihar (15 October). Choose Seascape only if a nursery offers it, since it gave 840 g a plant there.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeThe Mahabaleshwar trial planted in November 2016 on raised beds at 30 × 30 cm, with fertigation.
- 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)
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
Major pests
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Highest TSS of four varieties at Mahabaleshwar: 12.46%, against 9.80% for Camarosa.
- 735 g a plant (29.42 t/ha) there, well ahead of Camarosa (540 g).
- Large, conical, firm fruit in the breeder's patent (30 g average in Italy).
Things to consider
- In India the fruit is smaller than the Italian figure: 19.64 g at Mahabaleshwar against 30 g in the patent.
- Latest to finish picking of four at Mahabaleshwar, 77.80 days after planting.
- We found only one Indian trial for it. Plant a small bed first. Buy certified runners each year.
Suitable regions
An imported Italian cultivar, not an ICAR release, grown in Mahabaleshwar and increasingly in Odisha and Chhattisgarh trials as an alternative to the older American releases.
- Maharashtra
- Odisha
- Chhattisgarh
Italian numbers and Indian numbers: use the Indian ones
Nabila comes with a breeder's patent from Italy. The patent describes a 30 g fruit, 58 × 47 mm, and about 850–900 g a plant with harvest from March to May at Battipaglia. Nursery sheets in India often repeat those numbers.
The Mahabaleshwar trial of 2016 shows what to expect here: a 19.64 g fruit, 37.28 fruits and 735 g a plant (29.42 t/ha), with a TSS of 12.46%, the highest of four varieties. That is a good result, but the fruit is two-thirds of the Italian size, and the harvest ran to 77.80 days after planting.
Plan your prices and labour on the Indian numbers. Plant a small bed in your first year, weigh the fruit, and compare with the nearest variety you already grow.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This crop is multiplied from runners — the trailing shoots that root where they touch the ground. You can raise your own plants from healthy mother plants, but runners carry virus and crown rot forward, so most growers buy fresh, certified runners every year or two rather than planting on from their own indefinitely.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Strawberry variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camarosa | A firm, dark-red berry for farmers in hills and cooler plains, planted where its record is good, not assumed to be the highest yielder | ~150–170 days | 245.2 g a plant in Meghalaya, 540 g (21.65 t/ha) at Mahabaleshwar. Results differ by place. | Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi |
| Chandler | The proven hill-and-cool-plain strawberry, chosen for its record in Himachal and Assam trials rather than for earliness | ~150–170 days | 35.10 and 40.08 t/ha in the Himachal mid-hills (2012, 2013); 186.8 g a plant in the Assam hills. | Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana |
| Festival | The large-berried, high-yielding strawberry for the Bihar plains and the hills, chosen for berry size and yield, not for sweetness | ~150–170 days | 355.04 g a plant at Sabour, Bihar; 15.26 t/ha in Supaul, Bihar; 29.76 and 35.24 t/ha in the Himachal mid-hills; 169.0 g a plant in the Assam hills. | Maharashtra, Odisha, Chhattisgarh |
| Nabilathis page | A sweet, large-fruited berry for Mahabaleshwar-type conditions, chosen for TSS and weight per plant, with a thin Indian trial record | ~150–170 days | 735 g a plant (29.42 t/ha) at Mahabaleshwar, 2016; 850–900 g a plant in the Italian patent. | Maharashtra, Odisha, Chhattisgarh |
| Sweet Charlie | The sweet, early-flowering berry sold on taste, planted for TSS and berry count rather than for the heaviest bed | ~140–160 days | 182.4 g a plant in the Assam hills (at par with Chandler); 22.48 berries a plant at Sabour, Bihar. Berries are small. | Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi |
| Winter Dawn | The vigorous early planter: a heavy-fruiting winter berry for Maharashtra and Bihar, chosen for fruits per plant and an early start | ~150–170 days | 820 g a plant (32.97 t/ha), 39.20 fruits of 21.00 g at Mahabaleshwar, 2016 | Maharashtra |
Tools for this crop
The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Strawberry is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Strawberry plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Strawberry variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Strawberry into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Strawberry rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Strawberry seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Nabila an American variety like most others grown in India?
No — Nabila was bred in Italy by Consorzio Italiano Vivaisti (CIV) from a cross between 'Ventana' and a CIV breeding selection, first propagated in 2004. It is one of the few commercially grown Indian strawberry varieties with a European rather than American origin, selected specifically for Mediterranean and other low-chill growing regions.
How sweet is Nabila?
At Mahabaleshwar in 2016 Nabila had the highest TSS of four varieties, 12.46%, against 11.10% for Winter Dawn, 10.44% for Seascape and 9.80% for Camarosa. The breeder's patent gives 7 °Brix in Italy, so the figure depends on place, weather and ripeness. Pick fully coloured berries for the sweetest fruit.
Is Nabila an American variety?
No. Nabila was bred in Italy by Consorzio Italiano Vivaisti (CIV), from Ventana × a CIV selection, Q6Q8-26, and tested in Mediterranean and low-chill areas of Europe. Camarosa and Chandler are from the University of California, and Festival, Sweet Charlie and Winter Dawn from the University of Florida. The patent calls Nabila early and not fruiting again after the main crop.
How big is a Nabila berry in India?
At Mahabaleshwar the fruit weighed 19.64 g, behind Seascape (24.40 g) and Winter Dawn (21.00 g) but ahead of Camarosa (17.00 g). The Italian patent gives 30 g on average and 58 × 47 mm. Do not expect the Italian size. Plan your pricing on the Indian figure.
Has Nabila been tested in Odisha or Chhattisgarh?
We found no published trial for Nabila in either state. The Indian trial we found is the Mahabaleshwar one (2016). The Bihar trials tested Festival, Sweet Charlie and Winter Dawn. If you farm in eastern India, plant a small bed of Nabila beside a variety that has a record there and weigh both.
Sourced from: US Patent US20120210476P1 — Strawberry plant named 'NABILA', The Rania and Nabila varieties — Mazzoni Group, Performance of strawberry cultivars under Mahabaleshwar conditions — J. Pharmacognosy & Phytochemistry 7(4), 2018. editorial policy.