Royal Royce belongs to a new group of cultivars that aim to establish new standards of productivity and fruit quality. As a car enthusiast, I often use that industry as a reference to explain how things work in the “real world.” When you see, for example, a Toyota car for sale, you already assume it’s a good vehicle — even without seeing it up close. What catches your attention is the brand, recognized for decades as a synonym of reliability. Only afterward do you check if the car is really in good condition.

The same reasoning applies to other brands, such as Honda, just to name another example. Following this logic, over the past 30 years, the strawberry cultivars that have stood out the most in Brazil and worldwide were developed by the University of California, Davis. Varieties such as Oso Grande, Camarosa, Chandler, Aromas, Albion, and San Andreas — the latter being almost a national consensus.

And why is that? Because this cultivar stands out for its hardiness, productivity, and excellent adaptability to different planting regions.

Breeders — specialists responsible for developing

new varieties — already have, at the very least, a

group of cultivars gradually replacing San Andreas.

One of the most promising is Royal Royce.

During a visit to a producer in southern Brazil, who has more than 300,000 plants planted, about 12,000 of which are Royal Royce, we were impressed by the performance of this material. According to the producer himself, he is safely harvesting about 50% more with Royal Royce compared to San Andreas. No matter how good the photos are, they can’t fully convey the potential of this cultivar.

Here are some characteristics of Royal Royce compared to San Andreas:

·Larger and more robust crowns;

·Reduced runner production;

·More consistent yield, with continuous flowering and fruiting. These fruits have a conical shape — which facilitates packaging — and a bright red color that remains even after harvest;

·High resistance to long-distance transport, resulting in fewer losses;

·Lower susceptibility to mite attacks;

·Good resistance to major diseases and lower nutrient requirements compared to San Andreas…

…Another observation made at the Maxxi Mudas experimental unit is that, even under high temperatures, Royal Royce continues to produce flowers, while San Andreas tends to temporarily pause flowering. In other words, it’s like a car that goes further on less fuel.

Evolution and innovation are constantly knocking at our door. For this reason, Maxxi Mudas is committed to bringing cultivars to Brazil that help increase producers’ profitability. Royal Royce is an excellent example of this evolution!