Marketing Leaders Visit from China
Produce marketing leaders from China visited the Strawberry Center in June to learn more about the research and educational programs that the Center engages in. Visitors were particularly interested in the performance of the 90 strawberry varieties being tested by Cal Poly for resistance to the soilborne diseases Verticillium wilt and Macrophomina crown rot. They were particularly interested in a strawberry variety that produces pink fruit and an all-white internal flesh, with high sugar content. The color variation offers some nice marketing opportunities and sweetness is a trait that meets the demands of the Chinese market. However, many health benefits associated with eating strawberries are tied to the anthocyanin compounds that make strawberries red. China is the largest producer of strawberries in the world, but their production is in shorter supply when California's season is peaking. This offers a ripe opportunity for importing strawberries from California.
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