Recent News
How are our plants coping with these low overnight temps?
Dec 21, 2022
Like much of California and the country, our area has been experiencing below normal overnight temperatures. The temperature in our strawberry fields yesterday morning at about 7 AM was 34F/1C, certainly quite chilly for the central coast! Strawberry flowers can be damaged or killed at temperatures lower than 30F/-1.1C. Young green fruit will withstand 30F but be damaged at temperatures near 28F/-2.2C. Strawberry plants in general are able to withstand freezes and even benefit from the increased plant vigor that follows low temps. A freeze would be much more troubling during early fruit production.
Photos by our farm manager Drew Summerfield.
Happy Holidays from The Strawberry Center!
Dec 15, 2022
Wishing everyone a Happy Holiday and a cheerful New Year!
From the team at the Cal Poly Strawberry Center
Seven weeks after planting
Dec 12, 2022
Despite some substantially cooler overnight temperatures (as low as 40F) over the past few weeks, the 2022/23 crop is progressing nicely. Additionally, recent rains have not only helped put a dent in California's extreme drought challenges but have provided our plants with some welcome moisture. According to www.cimis.water.CA.gov (administered by the CA Water Resource Board), Cal Poly campus received over 7.1" of rainfall between 12/1-12/2022.
Cal Poly Tech Park helps success of Strawberry Center
Dec 9, 2022
Thank you to Cal Poly's Corporate Engagement and Innovation (CEI) team for highlighting our Center and the important contribution that being housed in the Cal Poly Tech Park makes to our Center's overall success and mission fulfillment.
"Cal Poly's Strawberry Center Helps California Strawberry Industry Grow"
https://cei.calpoly.edu/cal-polys-strawberry-center-helps-california-strawberry-industry-grow
Center entomologist Sarah Zukoff presents in CAFES Seminar Series
Dec 7, 2022
As part of the Fall 2022 CAFES Research Seminar Series line-up, Center entomologist Sarah Zukoff presented "Insect Pest Management in Strawberries: A Closer Look at Improving the IPM Toolbox". Sarah describes aspects of her research program that aim to assist CA strawberry growers with pest control, such as non-chemical management of Lygus bugs, UV-C technology, predatory mites and spotted-wing drosophila parasitoids.
Full presentation video https://tinyurl.com/s-zukoff-cafes-seminar
Powerpoint slides
• PDF (original animation or video not included)
• Video format:
Strawberry Center entomology team members present at 2022 ESA in Vancouver, BC
Dec 1, 2022
Strawberry Center entomology team members Sarah Zukoff, Jose Alvarado Rojas and Kiley Jensen presented at the 2022 Joint Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, held in Vancouver, British Columbia on 13-16 Nov 2022. A special shout-out to Jose as recipient of a travel award/stipend to attend the meeting as well as an invitation to speak at the 10th Annual Latin/Hispanic Symposium. His talk was titled "Migrating like the monarchs: A Mexican entomologist's journey from the desert of Zacatecas to the strawberry fields of California". Congrats Jose!
Sarah Zukoff presenting, ESA meeting 2022
Jose Alvarado Rojas presenting, ESA meeting 2022
Kiley Jensen presenting, ESA meeting 2022
My Ag Life Daily News interviews Strawberry Center entomologist Sarah Zukoff
Nov 29, 2022
Kylie Harlan with My Ag Life Daily News Report discussed with Center entomologist Sarah Zukoff her research project on the use of UVC light delivered by roving machines to manage strawberry insect and mite pests in the field. Listen to the full interview @ https://tinyurl.com/myaglife-UVC-interview
Successful 2022 Field Day highlighted in Fruit Growers News
Nov 23, 2022
Our highly-attended 2022 Field Day was highlighted in a recent issue of Fruit Growers News. The article discusses the robotic strawberry harvester (Advanced Farm Technologies Inc.) showcased in our AUTOMATION area; Our ENTOMOLOGY team's research project assessing the effectiveness of ultraviolet-C radiation in arthropod management; And on the PATHOLOGY side, which varieties perform well against root rots, plastic color comparisons and drip tape irrigation as it relates to Macrophomina root rot.
https://tinyurl.com/FGN-FD2022
"Cal Poly strawberry research: Can robots kill pests?"
by Chris Koger, Managing Editor
Strawberry center receives grant for innovative pest management systems in strawberry
Nov 22, 2022
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation awarded Dr. John Lin, our Center's Automation program director, a grant aimed at promoting the understanding and adoption of UV-C light technology by California's strawberry growers. Lin will lead the research team in showcasing to growers the benefits and advantages of UV-C light as a non-chemical, sustainable alternative to pesticides for controlling pests such as powdery mildew and other potential arthropod pests (e.g., mites).
https://tinyurl.com/y2shw4ma
Automated Strawberry Plug Transplanter Demonstration, Santa Maria CA
Nov 17, 2022
After plug plants are grown in a greenhouse and hardened off outdoors, they are transported to the field where they are work crews load them into rotating cups on the plug transplanter rig. The transplanter rig punches holes through the plastic into the soil ahead of the rotating cups, which then drop plants into the holes. Wheels run on both sides of planted plug to compress the soil. Crews then perform quality checks on transplanted plugs.
