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SUNRISE - A NEW STRAWBERRY VARIETY 



J. F. Anderson 

 Department of Plant and Soil Sciences 



Sunrise , a new red stele resistant, early ripening strawberry var- 

 iety, developed cooperatively by the Maryland Agricultural Experiment 

 Station and the United States Department of Agriculture, is now avail- 

 able to growers. The variety was named and released to nurserymen in 

 November, 1964-, so that the supply of virus-free plants could be in- 

 creased and made available to growers in the fall of 1965. 



Sunrise was tested from Massachusetts to North Carolina and west- 

 ward to Missouri. The variety was most satisfactory in the southern 

 Midwest portion of the United States. 



Sunrise is resistant to 3 races of the red stele fungus and to Ver- 

 ticillium wilt. The leaves are resistant to leaf scorch and mildew, 

 but very susceptible to leaf spot. 



We fruited Sunrise in our experimental plots in Amherst in 1958, 

 1959, 1960 and 1961. The fruit, under our conditions, was bright red, 

 glossy, smooth and uniform in shape. The size was medium to small and 

 variable. The plants were vigorous and made a good bed. The yield, as 

 related to other varieties under trial at the time, was fair. A com- 

 parison of Sunrise and Midway growing under similar conditions is of- 

 fered : 



Sunrise ^-. -. Midway ,-, >. 



qts./acre^ qts./acre 



1958 6,933 8,929 



1959 i+,719 8,712 



1960 8,820 10,563 



(1) This is a calculated yield. 



Sunrise did not appear to be especially promising under our Amherst 

 conditions. However, it may be worth testing where an early ripening 

 variety is desired and red stele is a problem. 



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BIRD DATIAGE RESEARCH 



David H. Hirth, Graduate Assistant 

 Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management 



For the last four years a concentrated effort has been made to in- 

 vestigate the basic ecology of the robin here in Amherst. Interest in 



