The Scintillating Science of Strawberries Quiz

Answer: Excellent flavor and large size

Perhaps two of the most important qualities to strawberry growers are indeed flavor and size, of which virginiana and chiloensis were respectively known for. The introduction of New World fruit, such as strawberries, led to such experimentation as hybridization, as merchants and scientists were looking for new ways to optimize and improve the foods they currently had in the Old World.

The common garden strawberry has a species of Fragaria × ananassa.

Answer: Aggregate fruit

Aggregate fruits are those in which several ovaries are contained in one flower, therefore creating a larger "fruit" (the whole strawberry) from several smaller fruits (the strawberry "seeds"). The flesh of the strawberry does not come from the plant's ovaries, so is not considered the fruit of the plant, but an accessory to it, so is called "accessory fruit".

This complexity caused scientists to label the strawberry an aggregate-accessory fruit. Another aggregate-accessory fruit is the common blackberry.

Answer: Cultivar epithet

Cultivar epithets are often used alone to describe individual cultivars. For example, Fragaria × ananassa 'Gariguette', a cultivar grown in France, is often simply referred to as a Gariguette, or Gariguette strawberry.

Answer: Small stems from the strawberry plant expand out and create individual cloned plants.

Believe it or not, strawberry plants often create individual clones of themselves by sending out these runners, which tend to wither away after they have successfully created a new plant. This can be a boon for some growers as the strawberry can be propagated rather cheaply and create large harvests with few plants.

However, for those with a varied garden, the runners can become invasive, so pruning the little buggers can become a cumbersome task. Also, as the plant is focusing on growing runners, it isn't putting as much effort into the delicious fruit we like to snack on.

Answer: Chromosomes

Humans are diploids, meaning they have two copies of each chromosome, one from the mother and one from the father. Strawberries have eight. Polyploidy (multiple sets of chromosomes) is common in plants, but extremely rare in animals. Strawberries' polyploidy has made them good candidates in the field of genetic research.

Answer: Fungus

Viruses are not typically considered organisms, so that option is out. Perhaps the name Mycosphaerella gave you a hint. Indeed, leaf spot is most often caused by a resilient fungus, which turns the strawberries a black color, though doesn't necessarily rot them. The unflattering color makes it difficult to sell the produce.

Answer: Ripening

Often, strawberry cravers can attempt to eat the delicious fruit when it is not ripe, or even just partially ripe, as the protein isn't as pronounced. This is, however, only good advice for those with slight allergies.

Answer: True

Oddly enough, this is true according to the University of Illinois. However, the amount of vitamin C intake that is a benefit to your body is capped, so there is little use in eating those extra strawberries simply for your daily vitamin C needs.

Answer: Day-neutral

Day-neutral plants have flowering habits that do not take into account the length of day and night, and so can be more versatile than the other varieties.

Day-neutral strawberries are perhaps the easiest to grow if you are interested in immediate gratification as opposed to enhanced flavor or size. The plants themselves are more delicate than their cousins, so they must be handled with care.

Answer: Strawberry thrips

The word "thrips" is the same plural as it is singular, so there may be several strawberry thrips or one singular thrips. These tiny insects are a nuisance to strawberry farmers as they tend to suck out many of the liquids contained within strawberry plants, causing the fruit to become dry and cracked.

Strawberry thrips are sometimes treated with pesticides, though the best treatment comes biologically from some of its natural predators.