Strained epitaxial BiFeO3 films deposited on (001) SrTiO3 substrates by metal organic chemical vapor deposition were studied by optical second harmonic generation (SHG) and SQUID magnetometry. The observed SHG intensity vs temperature dependencies indicate that for less strained films (sigma<0.6 GPa) a strong interplay between the ferroelectric and magnetic subsystems exists, while for the films with larger sigma-values strain-induced destruction of the magnetic cycloidal ordering takes place. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.