Having its largest attendance to date, the California Strawberry Commission and the Cal Poly Strawberry Center hosted another successful Strawberry Field Day on Aug. 8 in San Luis Obispo. It marked the tenth anniversary of the Strawberry Center, a collaborative partnership between the commission and university.
The event featured four stations, moving color-coded groups through each one and featuring presentations based on recent or ongoing research. They included the use of UV-C light as a non-chemical management solution for powdery mildew and other pests, the development of superior plant breeding lines, investigations into fusarium wilt and macrophomina, and various automated technologies to improve efficiency in the field, such as runner cutters, bug vacuums, and hole punchers.
“Seeing the advancements and research presented at field day shows how committed everyone is – from the students working in the fields to the staff managing the projects,” said Allen Davis, chairman of the board for the California Strawberry Commission, in a news release. “It’s a collective effort to address the challenges farmers encounter every day.”
The trade show area just outside the building had a mix of robotics and other agtech, as well as other farm product-based vendor booths.
The Strawberry Center, once focused only on plant pathology, has made some notable strides in growth, including:
- evaluating over 1,500 strawberry genotypes for disease resistance
- training nearly 150 students to be future leaders in the industry
- securing $7.7 million in funding to continue its work
California strawberries are a $3.4 billion industry, and the California Strawberry Commission represents over 300 growers, processors, and shippers.
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