Sixteen commercially grown strawberry cultivars with different degrees of resistance to red stele were evaluated for yield, plant characteristics and fruit quality. `Bounty', `Midway', and `Sparkle' had sufficient interior and exterior fruit color, good to satisfactory flavor and suitability for freezing. However, these cultivars as well as `Redcoat' lacked sufficient fruit firmness. `Bounty', `Redcoat', `Redchief and `Sparkle' had the highest yield in the three-year test. `Annapolis', `Earliglow' and `Scott' had reflexed calyx whereas `Allstar', `Annapolis', `Cornwallis', `Earllglow', `Guardian' and `Sunrise' were characterized by a raised neck suitable for mechanical dehulling. `Sunrise' appeared to be the only cultivar free of leaf scorch and leaf spot. `Tristar', `Redchief, `Lester', `Darrow' and `Arking' roots had the lowest incidence of red stele when planted in a naturally-infested field. No relationship between fruit characteristics was observed which suggests the necessity to examine each Individual tralt.