Recent News
Celebrating our graduating students!
Jun 12, 2025
We had so much fun celebrating our graduating students last week! We served up a full taco bar, all cooked by our staff. Congratulations to all of our wonderful graduates, we can't wait to see what you accomplish!
Field Day 2025 planning in full swing
Jun 6, 2025
Get a look behind the scenes of Field Day 2025 planning! Exciting changes and new additions are in the works, and we think you'll love them. Here you can see Kyle (Field Research Manager) and Mohammad (Entomology Program Leader) discussing the rotational flow for this year's event. Stay tuned, planning is in full swing!
Dr. Elias Marvinney visits the Strawberry Center for PLSC 450
Jun 3, 2025
Dr. Elias Marvinney (UC Davis Industrial Ecology) gave a lecture at Cal Poly on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for environmental benefits and impacts in California strawberry. Thank you Elias for making the trip to Cal Poly and sharing your knowledge and experience with our students! Click below for the full lecture:
Joseph Ramirez successfully defends his master's thesis!
May 30, 2025
CONGRATULATIONS to Joseph Ramirez who successfully defended his master’s thesis this week! His thesis is titled “Improved management strategies for Botrytis fruit rot, Macrophomina root rot, and Verticillium wilt in California strawberry production” and you can watch his defense below.
His thesis committee is comprised of Drs. Gerald Holmes (chair), Shashika Hewavitharana and Bill Turechek (CSC).
We’re incredibly proud of Joseph. After graduation, he will continue his employment at the Strawberry Center as our Farm Manager. Eventually, Joseph plans to return to work with his father farming strawberries in Watsonville, CA.
FIELD DAY REGISTRATION IS LIVE!
May 27, 2025
REGISTER HERE!
EVENT: Cal Poly Strawberry Center 9th Annual Field Day
WHEN: Thursday, July 24, 2025
Over 600 strawberry growers, researchers and industry representatives from all over California (and beyond) gather annually for the Strawberry Center Field Day.
Participants rotate through stations, hearing from Cal Poly students and staff about the latest research taking place at the Strawberry Center. Topics range from the newest automation technology to predatory mites to soil-borne pathogens of strawberry, and much more! Lunch will be served.
Strawberry Center students lead two outreach events in one day!
May 23, 2025
Our students recently represented the Strawberry Center at two outreach events—all in one day! At Cal Poly’s Evening of Green & Gold, they shared fresh strawberries and discussed their hands-on research experience with Cal Poly donors. Meanwhile, at the Great AGventure, they presented on the CA strawberry industry while featuring interactive displays of moldy fruit, powdery mildew, petri dishes of plant pathogens, and yellow mealworm beetles.
A huge thank you to Olivia Bruns, Sydney Roncal, Victoria Paolini, Shaelyn Spencer, and Sophie Rodriguez for leading these booths and representing the Strawberry Center with such enthusiasm and professionalism!
Field Day Registration opens in one week!
May 20, 2025
Field Day Registration opens in one week!
Register on Tuesday, May 27th at 9 AM for the Cal Poly Strawberry Center 9th Annual Field Day
EVENT:
Thursday, July 24, 2025
Over 600 strawberry growers, researchers and industry representatives from all over California (and beyond) gather annually for the Strawberry Center Field Day.
Participants rotate through stations, hearing from Cal Poly students and staff about the latest research taking place at the Strawberry Center. Topics range from the newest automation technology to predatory mites to soil-borne pathogens of strawberry, and much more! Lunch will be served.
Alum Beth Noel visits the Center with Frontier High School
May 16, 2025
We had the pleasure of hosting Beth Noel and her students from Frontier High School (Bakersfield, CA) for a tour of our strawberry fields and entomology lab. Beth is a proud alum of our program, and it was a full-circle moment to welcome her back again, this time as an educator! It's always rewarding to share our work with the next generation of ag leaders. Thanks for visiting, Frontier High!
Steve Koike (TriCal Diagnostics Director) visits the Center for PLSC 450
May 13, 2025
Steve Koike (Director at TriCal Diagnostics) gave a lecture at Cal Poly on strawberry disease identification and management. Steve has had a long and illustrious career as a plant pathologist in the Salinas Valley. After nearly 30 years as a Farm Advisor for the UC Cooperative Extension, he started TriCal Diagnostics. Thank you Steve for making the trip to Cal Poly and sharing your knowledge and experience with our students! Interested in watching the full lecture? Click here:
Center staff present at the Annual CSC Research Meeting
May 13, 2025
The Center was well represented at the Annual California Strawberry Commission Research Meeting in Santa Maria! Our team shared updates on key research topics:
Dr. Gerald Holmes: "Fungicide Efficacy Against Botrytis Fruit Rot and Powdery Mildew"
Dr. Shashika Hewavitharana: "Update on Strawberry Disease Diagnostics"
Dr. Mohammad Amir Aghaee: "Cal Poly Entomology Program: Year One"
Colin Koubek: "Fungicides and Phytoseiulus persimilis"
