ABSTRACT
The taste of wild strawberries was recognized many centuries ago before they were domesticated and cultivated. It is believed that the Romans and Greeks used to consume strawberries and there is evidence for them having been collected even earlier, probably during prehistoric era. The present-day cultivated strawberries, Fragaria × ananassa Duch. are hybrid progenies of F. chiloensis and F. virginiana, first recorded in France during the 18th century (Sharma and Yamdagni, 2000). Subsequent efforts in genetic improvement have resulted in the evolution of genotypes with a large size and high-quality fruits, which are nowadays cultivated on a large scale in open fields or in protected conditions. In fact, it is grown practically across the length and breadth of the globe under temperate to mild subtropical climatic conditions and even in mild-climate highland areas of many tropical regions. Strawberry fruits are highly prized for their universal appeal to human beings in physical appearance, aroma, and taste. Besides, they are rich sources of vitamins and nutrient elements.
