strawberry Variety
UC Keystone
NEW - A mid to late-season day-neutral variety with excellent post-harvest qualities
UC Keystone leads with late strength and exceptional sweetness
UC Keystone is a high-performing day-neutral strawberry from UC Davis, released in 2023, distinguished by strong mid-to-late season yield accumulation and balanced vegetative vigour. Its robust canopy supports sustained production, while controlled runner development enhances crop management. The variety offers resistance to Fusarium wilt and moderate resistance to Verticillium wilt and Phytophthora crown rot. In multi-location commercial trials, UC Keystone achieved the highest cumulative marketable yields among evaluated cultivars, producing firm fruit with an outstanding sweetness profile for premium fresh-market programs.ketable yields among evaluated cultivars, while maintaining firm fruit and an excellent sweetness balance.
UC Keystone Key Features
Mid-to-late season yield strength
with continuous flowering
Fusarium wilt resistant (FW1)
Exceptional marketable yield
Strong Sweetness
Elevated TSS/TA ratio (11.01) supporting strong perceived sweetness
Balanced runner production
(between UCD Moxie and Monterey types)
UC Keystone, offering great yields, firm fruits and improved disease resistance.
Rupert Hargreaves
Comparative Results
Use the dropdown below to select a trait and compare performance across our strawberry varieties. Compare key commercial characteristics across our strawberry genetics, including disease resistance, yield performance, fruit firmness, fruit size, and market suitability.
Fusarium Wilt
UC Keystone
R (1.7)
UC Golden Gate
R (2.0)
UC Eclipse
R (1.2)
UCD Valiant
R (1)
UCD Moxie
R (1)
UCD Royal Royce
S (3.6)
Verticillium Wilt
UC Keystone
MR (2.6)
UC Golden Gate
MR (3.1)
UC Eclipse
MR (2.6)
UCD Valiant
MR (2)
UCD Moxie
MR (2)
UCD Royal Royce
MR (2.6)
Phytophthora Crown Rot
UC Keystone
MR (2.44)
UC Golden Gate
MR (2.7)
UC Eclipse
MR (2.3)
UCD Valiant
MS (3)
UCD Moxie
MS (3)
UCD Royal Royce
MR (2.4)
Macrophomina Phaseolina
UC Keystone
MS (2.7)
UC Golden Gate
S (4.0)
UC Eclipse
S (3.8)
UCD Valiant
S (4)
UCD Moxie
S (4)
UCD Royal Royce
S (3.6)
Fruit Firmness
UC Keystone
260.6 g-force
UC Golden Gate
303.7 g-force
UC Eclipse
285–266 g-force
UCD Valiant
377 g-force
UCD Moxie
425 g-force
UCD Royal Royce
430 g-force
Fruit Size
UC Keystone
28 g per fruit
UC Golden Gate
28.7 g per fruit
UC Eclipse
33 g avg
UCD Valiant
35.3g avg
UCD Moxie
32.1g avg
UCD Royal Royce
29.7g avg
Brix
UC Keystone
8.5 °Bx
UC Golden Gate
8.1 °Bx
UC Eclipse
7.4 °Bx
UCD Valiant
7.6 °Bx
UCD Moxie
7.6 °Bx
UCD Royal Royce
7.9 °Bx
Marketability
UC Keystone
80–85 %
UC Golden Gate
84–88 %
UC Eclipse
80–90 %
UCD Valiant
84-86 %
UCD Royal Royce
84-91%
UCD Moxie
87-89%
Yield Potential*
UC Keystone
110 - 120 t/ha
UC Golden Gate
110 t/ha
UC Eclipse
3KG+ Per Plant Achieved
UCD Valiant
101-143 t/ha
UCD Moxie
116-160 t/ha
UCD Royal Royce
113-143 t/ha
Key:
R – Resistant, S – Susceptible, MR – Moderate Resistance, MS – Moderate Susceptibility, ND – Not Determined
Scale: *ratings on a 1-5 scale
References
*UC Davis Strawberry Breeding Program (2015–2024). Multi-year trial data (Oxnard, Santa María, Watsonville
1. UC Davis Strawberry Breeding Program (2015–2024). Multi-year trial data (Oxnard, Santa María, Watsonville).
2. Cal Poly Strawberry Center Field Day Handout (Lompoc, May 2024), Tables 1–3.
3. HortScience 58(12): ‘UC Eclipse – A Summer-Plant Photoperiod-Insensitive Strawberry Cultivar’ (2023).
4. HortScience 60(6): ‘UC Surfline – A Short-Day Cultivar with High Early and Sustained Fruit Yields’ (2025).
5. UC Davis Variety Release Sheet: UCD Royal Royce (2019).
6. Coronda Berry Congress 2025 Presentations (Argentina): Slides pp. 5–6 (Royal Royce), pp. 9–10 (Surfline), pp. 13–15 (Eclipse).
7. UC Davis Office of Technology Transfer – Plant Licensing Program (2024).
8. Knapp S. J., Cole G., Brown A., Feldmann M. (2020–2024). UC Davis Strawberry Program Breeding Summaries.
9. Cal Poly and UC Davis joint field reports (2021–2023): Oxnard and Santa María yield summaries.
UC Keystone Enquiry
"*" indicates required fields