Winter Dawn
Bred by the University of Florida (patented 2009). At Mahabaleshwar (2016) it gave the most fruits (39.20), 820 g a plant (32.97 t/ha) and 11.10% TSS. In Bihar (Sabour) it grew most strongly and flowered earliest, 40.83 days after planting, and suits 15 October planting.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Strawberry
- Type
- Runner plant (tissue-culture / certified)
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- ~150–170 days
- Expected yield
- 820 g a plant (32.97 t/ha), 39.20 fruits of 21.00 g at Mahabaleshwar, 2016
- Suitable soil
- Well-drained sandy loam rich in organic matter, pH 5.7–6.5
- Disease resistance
- No specific resistance claimed
- Release
- Bred by the University of Florida; US Plant Patent granted 2009
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Winter Dawn comes from a hand-pollinated cross of two University of Florida selections, FL 93-103 and FL 95-316, made at Dover, Florida, and was granted a US plant patent in 2009. It is not an ICAR release. At Mahabaleshwar in 2016 it did well. It gave the most fruits a plant, 39.20, of 21.00 g each, with 820 g a plant and 32.97 t/ha, at par with Seascape (840 g) and ahead of Nabila (735 g) and Camarosa (540 g). Its TSS was 11.10%, above Camarosa (9.80%). At BAU Sabour, Bihar, it had the strongest growth of three varieties, the largest leaf area (52.69 cm²) and flowered earliest, 40.83 days after planting, against 50.10 for Sweet Charlie. It did best with 15 October planting there. The Mahabaleshwar TSS figures do not show it to be less sweet than Camarosa.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Winter Dawn if you farm around Mahabaleshwar or in Bihar and want a heavy crop: 39.20 fruits and 820 g a plant (32.97 t/ha) in the 2016 trial, and the strongest growth and earliest flowering at Sabour. In Bihar plant it first, on 15 October. Do not choose it for the sweetest berry: Nabila had 12.46% TSS against Winter Dawn's 11.10% at Mahabaleshwar, and Sweet Charlie led in Bihar. Choose Nabila for sweetness and Festival for the biggest berry.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeBihar (BAU Sabour): Winter Dawn did best with 15 October planting. Mahabaleshwar trial: planted in November 2016 on raised beds at 30 × 30 cm.
- 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
- Most fruits a plant at Mahabaleshwar: 39.20, of 21.00 g each, for 820 g a plant and 32.97 t/ha.
- Strongest growth and earliest flowering at Sabour, Bihar: 40.83 days after planting.
- TSS of 11.10% at Mahabaleshwar, above Camarosa (9.80%). Suits 15 October planting in Bihar.
Things to consider
- Sweet Charlie had higher TSS in the Bihar trial, and Nabila (12.46%) in the Mahabaleshwar trial.
- Seascape gave slightly more at Mahabaleshwar (840 g), though at par.
- Not an ICAR release. Buy certified runners every year.
Suitable regions
An imported American cultivar, not an ICAR release, one of the most widely planted varieties in Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani.
- Maharashtra
Plant this one first: using the 15 October slot
A strawberry farm does not have to plant everything on one day. At BAU Sabour, Bihar, Winter Dawn did best with 15 October planting, grew the strongest of three varieties, and flowered earliest, 40.83 days after planting. Festival and Sweet Charlie preferred 1 November.
That gives you a plan. Put Winter Dawn in the first bed, on about 15 October. Plant Festival and Sweet Charlie on about 1 November. You then get your first berries from Winter Dawn, followed by the other two, and a longer season of sales.
At Mahabaleshwar the same variety gave 820 g a plant from beds planted in November 2016, so it is not only an early-October plant. But in Bihar, do not leave it for December: every variety did worst on 1 December.
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 |
| Nabila | 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 Dawnthis page | 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
Why is Winter Dawn specifically valued for early-season picking?
It was bred specifically for heavy fruiting from November through February, which is exactly when the main Indian picking season begins. This gives farmers a strong early harvest before many other varieties are in full production, which matters for capturing early-season market prices.
Is Winter Dawn sweet enough?
At Mahabaleshwar in 2016 its TSS was 11.10%, above Camarosa (9.80%) and Seascape (10.44%) but below Nabila (12.46%). It is sometimes said to be less sweet than Camarosa, but those numbers do not show that. Sweet Charlie was the sweetest in the Bihar trial. Judge by tasting your own fruit at full colour.
When should I plant Winter Dawn in Bihar?
At BAU Sabour (2012–13) Winter Dawn did best with 15 October planting, while Festival and Sweet Charlie did better with 1 November. Winter Dawn also flowered earliest, 40.83 days after planting, on every date. That makes it your first bed. A December planting gave the least growth and fruit for every variety, so avoid it.
How many fruits does a Winter Dawn plant give?
At Mahabaleshwar in 2016 it gave 39.20 fruits a plant, the most of four varieties, with Nabila at 37.28 and Camarosa at 31.76. The fruit weighed 21.00 g, so a plant gave 820 g, or 32.97 t/ha, on beds planted at 30 × 30 cm. Seascape gave 840 g, at par.
Is Winter Dawn only for Maharashtra?
No. The trials we found are from Mahabaleshwar (2016) and from BAU Sabour in Bihar (2012–13), where it grew most strongly and flowered earliest. We found no Winter Dawn trial from the northern hills. There the better-documented choices are Chandler and Camarosa.
Sourced from: US Patent US20090013438P1 — 'Winter Dawn' strawberry plant, 'Winter Dawn' — FFSP variety page, Performance of strawberry cultivars under Mahabaleshwar conditions — J. Pharmacognosy & Phytochemistry 7(4), 2018, Effect of planting dates on plant growth, yield and quality in strawberry varieties in subtropics of eastern India — Indian J. Agric. Sci. 87(12), 2017 (BAU Sabour). editorial policy.