A new strawberry variety named Mihyang has been developed in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, offering higher sugar levels and firmer flesh compared with Seolhyang, the dominant strawberry variety in South Korea.
The Strawberry Research Institute of the Chungnam Agricultural Research Institute in Nonsan announced on the 15th that it has completed a plant variety protection registration application for Mihyang with the National Seed Variety Protection Office. Plant variety protection registration secures exclusive rights for newly developed plant varieties and allows legal restrictions on unauthorised cultivation once approved.
Seolhyang currently represents about 80 per cent of strawberry farms nationwide. Developed by the same institute in 2005, Seolhyang replaced Japanese varieties such as Akihime, Red Pearl, and Yukobo, which previously dominated domestic production. The institute has also developed other varieties, including Kingsberry and Vitaberry.
Mihyang was developed to complement Seolhyang and support export programmes. The fruit has firmer flesh, which helps reduce softening during distribution, and a higher average sugar content of 10.7 Brix compared with Seolhyang's 10.1 Brix.
Development of the variety was influenced by competition with Geumsil, which has become the main export variety in Gyeongnam Province due to its firmness and shelf life. In 2024, South Korea's strawberry exports reached a record of about US$72 million. Most exports were shipped to warmer markets, including Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Vietnam. About 90.7 per cent of exported strawberries were produced in Gyeongnam Province, despite Nonsan having the largest strawberry growing area among South Korea's local governments.
Kim Hyun-sook, head of the Strawberry Research Institute's Digital Breeding Team, explained, "Strawberries lose firmness and commercial value when temperatures rise during export. Mihyang is expected to remain viable for 2–3 days longer than Seolhyang." A Nonsan City source stated, "We will now target the K-strawberry export market with Mihyang."
Mihyang is expected to be distributed to farms around 2028. Further development work remains, including improvements to slow colour development under low winter sunlight and its susceptibility to powdery mildew. Kim Hyun-sook said, "We will begin trial cultivations at farms this year to address these shortcomings."
Source: The Chosun Daily
