Sweet Charlie
An early-fruiting, low-chill variety from the University of Florida valued in India for genuinely useful field tolerance to anthracnose and Colletotrichum crown rot alongside its sweet flavour.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Strawberry
- Type
- Runner plant (tissue-culture / certified)
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- ~140–160 days
- Expected yield
- Moderate; valued more for earliness and disease tolerance than sheer volume
- Suitable soil
- Well-drained sandy loam on a raised, black-plastic-mulched bed
- Release
- Bred and released by the University of Florida in the early 1990s
About this variety
Sweet Charlie was bred by the University of Florida's strawberry breeding programme and released in the early 1990s as an early-fruiting, low-chill variety suited to warm-winter, subtropical growing conditions rather than the deep cold of temperate strawberry country. In India it is valued for two things together: a genuinely sweet flavour at a stage when many varieties are still tart, and useful field tolerance to anthracnose and Colletotrichum crown rot — a real practical advantage in tracts where warm, humid weather makes fungal fruit and crown rot the main risk. It is grown in Mahabaleshwar and on the northern plains, and has performed well enough in variety trials in Bihar, Odisha and Chhattisgarh to be recommended there alongside Festival and Winter Dawn.
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
~140–160 days
Expected yield
Moderate; valued more for earliness and disease tolerance than sheer volume
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
- Genuinely useful field tolerance to anthracnose and Colletotrichum crown rot — a real practical advantage in warm, humid tracts, unlike most other commercial varieties grown in India.
- Early fruiting and a low-chill breeding background that suits both Mahabaleshwar and the warmer plains.
- A sweet flavour valued by fresh-market buyers even at an early ripening stage.
Things to consider
- Yield tends to be moderate rather than the highest available — growers choose it more for earliness, flavour and anthracnose tolerance than for sheer tonnage.
- Anthracnose tolerance does not extend to grey mould or red stele — the same raised-bed, drip-and-mulch, canopy-airflow management is still essential.
Suitable regions
An imported American cultivar, not an ICAR release, grown in Mahabaleshwar, on the northern plains and trialled successfully in Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
- Maharashtra
- Punjab
- Haryana
- Delhi
Frequently asked questions
Why would a grower choose Sweet Charlie over a higher-yielding variety like Camarosa?
Mainly for its field tolerance to anthracnose and Colletotrichum crown rot, which genuinely matters in warm, humid tracts where fungal fruit and crown rot are the bigger risk, and for its early fruiting and sweet flavour, which suit an early-season fresh market even where total yield is somewhat lower.
Sourced from: Sweet Charlie Strawberry Variety + Growing Tips. editorial policy.