Rumba is an early ripening June bearer that stands out thanks to its beautifully shiny, bright red fruit. Rumba’s strong points include its long shelf life and the beautiful sheen that is still striking even after several days of storage. Rumba virtually never bears malformed fruit. The variety is suitable for the cooler growing regions of Western Europe. In the open air Rumba is mostly cultivated as a substitute for Honeoye. Rumba is also successfully grown in tunnels.

Flowering and harvest period
Rumba blossoms rather early; sometimes a late night frost will cause a few flowers to freeze. The blossoms are medium sized and have well-developed stamens. More than enough pollen is produced to ensure good fruit setting. The blossoming and harvest periods are similar to those of Honeoye. However, Rumba’s harvest goes on longer, making the total yield greater than that of Honeoye.

Fruit quality
Rumba’s beautiful fruit is uniform, intensely shiny and red to dark red. It is juicy and generally has a relatively good flavour. Though the seeds are usually slightly recessed, sometimes they stand out clearly on the berries. The berries are quite robust and tolerate handling well, as long as they are picked under the right conditions. Additionally, they remain very glossy even after several days of storage. The average fruit weight is significantly higher than that of Honeoye. The secondary fruit is of a good size as well. In exceptional situations the primary fruit can become quite large. Because Rumba, like Honeoye, is a somewhat darker colored strawberry, its fruit must be harvested regularly and on time. Generally the fruit is quite resistant to fruit rot (Botrytis), mildew (Sphaerotheca macularis) and the effects of rain.

Productivity
Rumba’s yield is greater than that of Honeoye. The fruit weight is considerably better, too. Above all the secondary and tertiary fruit is of a good size. Rumba is easy to harvest and requires relatively little sorting. The harvest can be made even earlier by protecting the plants with a cover. This allows a harvest advance of 4 to 7 days.

Pest and disease susceptibility
Rumba is only minimally susceptible to diseases. The plant is very vigorous; thus far there have been virtually no problems with diseases. Nor have soil diseases such as leather rot (Phytophthora cactorum) and wilting (Verticillium dahliae) led to problems.