Florida Medallion™ ‘FL 16.30-128’ Strawberry

Currently the main strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) grown in Florida is 'Florida Brilliance' (Whitaker et al. 2019; US Patent PP30,564).Commercialized in 2018, it accounted for $50% of the acreage in westcentral Florida in 2024.This cultivar has high early yield and uniformly shaped, medium-sized, and glossy fruit.Its open plant architecture and long stems facilitate efficient harvesting.In recent years, Sweet Sensation TM 'Florida127' (Whitaker et al. 2015; hereafter referred to as 'Florida127'; US Patent PP25, 574) has been the second leading cultivar, notable for its large fruit size and sweet flavor.However, despite being considered a premium flavored cultivar, 'Florida127' acreage has decreased in recent years, partly because of its lower yields in December compared with 'Florida Brilliance'.Therefore, there remains a need for varieties with both high early yields similar to 'Florida Brilliance' and premium flavor similar to 'Florida127'.The introduction of Florida Medallion 'FL 16.30-128' (hereafter referred to as 'FL 16.30-128'; US Patent PP33,451) in 2020 has provided such an option.As a result, this cultivar increased to about 15% of the acreage in central Florida by 2024.Trials of 'FL 16.