Desert strong point (5)
I believe the answer is:
merit
This clue is a double definition.
'desert' is the first definition.
(I've seen this before)
'strong point' is the second definition.
(thesaurus)
(Other definitions for merit that I've seen before include "Excellence that deserves to be honoured" , "Worth; deserve" , "Earn" , "Excellence, desert" , "Rate" .)