This acquisition underscores Andermatt’s commitment to sustainable agriculture and expands its range of biological products available to farmers worldwide, as noted in a recent press release.

“We are thrilled to join forces with Andermatt Group,” said Gagnon. “This partnership will enable us to expand VirosoftTM CP4’s reach and develop new pest management solutions.”

Andermatt Group AG, based in Switzerland, is a biological solutions company. BioTEPP Inc. specializes in environmentally friendly pest control products.

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Responsible use of spraying technology aligns with sustainable farming practices by protecting crops, conserving resources and minimizing the environmental impact.

After all, targeted spraying allows for precise application of pesticides, reduces the overall amount used and minimizes potential harm to beneficial insects and surrounding ecosystems.

Controlling the application rate

Smart Apply, a kit that can be added to virtually any new or used air blast, over-the-row or GUSS autonomous sprayer, combines LiDAR (light detection and ranging)- powered precision spraying with automated data collection of each spray event, unique in the industry, according to Smart Apply. 

Gary Vandenbark, chief engineer of Indianapolis-based Smart Apply, works with fruit and nut growers in their orchards and was instrumental in creating the Smart Apply System, the development of GEN2 and ongoing enhancements.

“If you think about a tree or vine crop, we’re really trying to spray the foliage or canopy, but everything that has been developed has always been about gallons per acre,” he said. Vandenbark explains how Smart Apply’s LiDAR senses the presence of trees/vines, adjusting spray volume based on size and density of individual plants to optimize protection and avoid over spraying. “You can also generate great savings by not spraying the air or the ground,” he said.

There are numerous operational and sustainability benefits of the system. For instance, Vandenbark noted how Smart Apply reduces chemical use and costs by an average of 50%, water use by an average of 50%, cuts runoff up to 92% and airborne drift by up to 87%.

“We use pulse width modulation and that gives us the ability to do a variable rate application on an individual nozzle basis,” Vandenbark said. “If you have 20 vertical nozzles on each side of the sprayer, we can use the LiDAR to break up the zones as we look at the canopy and utilize the spray nozzles.”

The system was invented in 2006, running by 2009, and tested for 12 years by the USDA before it was commercialized by Smart Apply in 2019 for the industry, so it’s still fairly new.

“We have the ability to count trees, look at density volumes on different areas of the field and things of that sort, look at the tree height and start taking historical data and look at tree growth or density history,” Vandenbark said. “With individual nozzle management, you have the ability to control the application rate relative to location on the tree. So, you can increase or decrease the volume from side to side or top to bottom.”

Smart Apply was designed for apples, stone fruits, pears, grapes, bush berries, tree nut crops and more. Smart Apply runs off of an app and growers can choose from multiple languages, including English and Spanish.

In the mist

For more than 40 years, A1 Mist Sprayers has been perfecting ideal sprayers for eradicating a wide range of diseases and pests that can affect fruit and nut crops.

“Our mist sprayers allow you to effortlessly provide uniform coverage on your trees with less chemical and water usage,” said Jon Kulzer, product manager for Ponca, Nebraska-based A1 Mist Sprayer. “With a wide range of models and accessories, our mist sprayers can adapt to fit one’s individual needs.”

In 2024, A1 Mist Sprayers is focusing on continuously enhancing its mist sprayers to be more user-friendly and durable, ensuring they perform season after season.

“When we began manufacturing mist sprayers, our focus was on PTO (power take-off) options designed for use with tractors,” Kulzer said.“As technology advanced, we expanded our offerings to include gas engines for transportation with ATVs, UTVs and other commercial vehicles. This flexibility allows our users to get the job done based on their available resources.”

One of the biggest benefits of the company’s mist sprayers is their flexibility to mist spray a wide range of applications, regardless of height. Depending on the model, users can mist up to 100 feet and it can be used for all tree care.

“Mist sprayers are crucial as they provide larger, uniform coverage, protecting your investment from diseases, fungus and pests,” Kulzer said. “Additionally, they reduce your use of chemicals and water, providing savings across the board.”

Electrostatic spraying

Willie Hartman, president and CEO of Mt. Angel, Oregon-based OnTarget Spray Systems, noted his company is solely focused on electrostatic spraying in agriculture. OnTarget has designed models for 14 specialty crops.

“We have about 45 different models to serve specialty crops,” he said, explaining the sprays harness the gravity-defying power of electrostatic cling to uniformly coat in half the time, with an 80% reduction of water, and less material waste. Plus, more chemical hits the target when it is applied electrostatically, as opposed to conventional sprayers, where more product moves into the atmosphere or runs off on the ground.

“Our sprayers enable farmers to target three specific zones,” Hartman said. The precise and uniform application maximizes chemical efficiencies and optimizes spray effectiveness against plant diseases and insects, he said. 

“Sun protection is critical for many crops and our unique uniform coverage gets the job done,” he said. “We also use half as much diesel compared to an air blast and we usually spray two to three times more acres per day, which helps with labor challenges and labor cost. Our customers appreciate the time savings and reduce fuel costs.”

Regardless of the sprayer growers go with, effective pest control will help maximize crop yield by preventing damage from pests and diseases, which can otherwise reduce the quantity and quality of the nuts.

Article written by Keith Loria

A graduate of the University of Miami, Keith Loria is an award-winning journalist who has been writing for almost 20 years. View his recent writing at keithloria.contently.com

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He’s not just a user of biologicals, however. As the former CEO of AgraQuest, a biopesticide company, Meadows-Smith is recognized as a pioneer, selling the company to Bayer CropScience in 2012 for almost $500 million. This signaled the first major investment in biologicals by a traditional chemical company.

Now he is the CEO of BioConsortia, a Davis, California-based company that discovers, designs and licenses microbial products.

Marcus and Jenny Meadows-Smith share a passion for wine and food, which led to them develop Great Bear Vineyards. The winery hosts events ranging from wedding receptions to comedy nights and birthday parties.

As a boutique winery, Great Bear Vineyards produces about 2,000 cases a year, most of which are sold at the winery and through a wine club it runs. The winery has gained a reputation for its grapes, some of which are sold to Napa Valley wineries, a 45-minute drive from Davis. Marcus Meadows-Smith and his wife, head vintner Jenny Meadows-Smith, bought the former tomato, sunflower and corn ranch about 10 years ago, incorporating historic buildings into the business, including the barn and original homestead, built around 1860. Jenny Meadows-Smith, a chemist, attended the University of California- Davis’ renowned viticulture and enology program. The couple planted 10 acres of grapevines, about 600 olive trees, lavender and assorted fruit trees around the property. They process and sell olive and lavender oils and donate fruit to local charities.

Great Bear Vineyards offered its first wines for sale in 2018, and quickly became noticed, earning silver, gold and double-gold medals at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Great Bear Vineyards was voted Best Local Winery by Sacramento Magazine readers in 2020 and 2021. Its Chardonnay, Roussanne varietals and Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon have received high ranks from Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

Great Bear Vineyards kept the original barn and homestead at the former ranch. Marcus Meadows-Smith and his wife Jenny, who own and operate the winery, also live at the property.

The winery attracts visitors from UC-Davis, including international visitors, who are interested in Great Bear’s sustainable and organic growing practices. Weeds, wildlife, water and more Davis has hot, dry summers, so pest pressures are low, Meadows- Smith said.

Permanent cover crops include a mix of ryegrass, wildflowers and clover. Under the grapevines, weed control is critical because a grape’s flavor can be affected by plants touching the fruit. As an organic grower, Meadows-Smith said weed control is the most difficult challenge. “In the first year, you have to protect the very young vines, because if they get an insect attack, then you can lose the flowers,” he said. “Now that they’re mature, a small amount of insect pressure on the leaves does not affect the quality of the grapes at all. And then we tend to do like a lime sulfur (application) when the vines are dormant and then through the growing season, it’s mostly just a natural oil that is sprayed.”

To be effective at limiting pest damage, the treatment has to be repeated during the growing season. “Is it better for the environment? I don’t know, because we have to go through the vineyard more frequently,” Meadows-Smith said. “So you’re using more fossil fuels by taking the sprayer through on a more regular basis.”

Great Bear Vineyards uses Bayer’s Serenade ASO, a biological fungicide developed by AgraQuest, as well as Pyganic Crop Protection EC, a bio-insecticide derived from chrysanthemums, the biofungicide Regalia and a microbial insecticide containing spinosad, which has been used by organic growers for more than 20 years. Meadows-Smith describes himself as a “keen ornithologist,” and the property is home to owls (including a pair of great horned owls), kestrels and hawks, and other assorted wildlife.

If coyotes aren’t keeping the wild turkey population in check, they’ll eat the grapes, so a friend with a crossbow is invited to hunt them. “So having those birds of prey around is certainly a deterrent for other birds that come in,” Meadows-Smith said. “The problem you have is, once they’re pecked, the sugary liquid comes out, and then you can get disease, bunch rot. And then as an organic grower, it’s almost impossible to control that.” The winery stopped growing Petit Sirah and Zinfandel grapes, because they’re thin-skinned and prone to bunch rot.

Marcus Meadows-Smith tests winegrapes to to determine when they are ready for processing.

To ensure the grapes receive enough water despite the dry climate, Meadows-Smith employs deficit-irrigation techniques to train roots to grow deep. Quality, and not tonnage, is a goal in growing winegrapes.

“You’re looking to have small berries with intense flavors, and therefore you don’t actually want to fill them with water because then the berries just swell up,” he said. “Then you get a lot of juice, which means you can make a lot of alcohol, but you lose flavor.” Genetic editing Meadows-Smith said BioConsortia uses gene editing to maximize the beneficial potential within a microbe’s genome. For example, the company’s work on nitrogen-fixing microbes uses a proprietary research and development platform to improve a microbe’s nitrogen- fixing capabilities.

“Microbes are very clever, and when they detect ammonia in their immediate surroundings, they switch off nitrogen fixation because nitrogen fixation is very energy intensive if you do it in a factory or if you’re a microbe doing it, because you have to break chemical bonds,” he said.

BioConsortia removes the microbe’s feedback loop that tells it to turn off the nitrogen-fixing process, essentially causing those microbes to continue to provide nitrogen in the soil after synthetic fertilizers would have dissipated. “It’s different from genetic modification,” Meadows- Smith said. “What we’re doing, we are just unleashing the natural power of the microbes so they naturally fix atmospheric nitrogen or they naturally control nematodes — we just help them do it better.”

Field trials and the future

Before AgraQuest, Meadows-Smith led Chemtura Corporation’s plastics additives and crop protection business. Now, he’s helping growers reduce reliance on chemicals at BioConsortia. The company recently closed on a $15 million round of financing, spurred in part by successful field trials, according to the company.

Great Bear Vineyards grows four varieties of white grapes and eight varieties of red grapes, some of which are blended. As a boutique winery, Great Bear produces about 2,000 cases of wine a year.

“Particularly now at BioConsortia we’re looking to produce very high-performing products that are equivalent to the chemistry and their efficacy as (synthetic) products, or in the area of nitrogen-fixing microbes, that will displace a large percentage of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer,” he said. “You know, my philosophy is we don’t want the grower to compromise on quality. What we’re looking to do is to provide an easy-to-use, cost-effective product.”

The first U.S. regulatory approvals are expected on BioConsortia’s products this year and the company has agreements with companies to distribute specific products when EPA approves them. That includes a broad-spectrum biofungicide for diseases in apples, berries, grapes, stone fruits and vegetables from Nichino America, and the biostimulant Zaffre from The Mosaic Co. that has shown average yield increases of more than 15% in fruit and vegetable crops, including tomatoes and beans. Other partnerships haven’t been announced yet.

In recent years, BioConsortia’s products have been through about 3,000 field trials across the U.S., Meadows-Smith said, on a wide range of specialty and row crops. Trials are also ongoing in Europe and South America. More than a dozen seed companies are testing BioConsortia products as seed treatments. After selling AgraQuest, he became head of strategic and business management of biologicals for Bayer for a brief time.

It’s now common for the major chemical companies to have similar divisions, acquisitions or partnerships to advance biological products.

“I think growers are starting to see advantages to soil health, regenerative agriculture, that replacing some of the sprays with biologicals is giving benefits to the soil, to their ultimate yields,” he said. The products are becoming more shelf stable; some products had to be refrigerated, and were not easy to use or mix with other products in the sprayer tank. Inconsistent results concerned growers. But field trials in recent years have proved some biologicals do work as advertised, Meadows-Smith said. “So with the best biologicals, it’s no longer a question of compromise,” he said. “It’s now a question of getting the message out.”

— Chris Koger, contributing editor

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Nutrien Ag Solutions has acquired Suncor Energy’s AgroScience assets that offers proprietary biocontrol technologies through its Loveland Products business.

“We’re excited to further develop this new technology which is expected to help accelerate Loveland Product’s efforts in delivering a broader range of solutions that aim to help maximize yields,” Casey McDaniel, vice president of Loveland Products, said in a news release. “As the biocontrol market grows, we believe farmers will increasingly demand bio-based solutions that work within existing management practices to achieve bottom-line benefits in yield and efficiency and support efforts to improve sustainability.”

The new chlorin-based photosensitizer formulations are expected to launch in certain markets by 2025. Product submissions to the EPA in the U.S. are anticipated by 2026. Nutrien Ag Solutions is set to market these products as part of the Loveland Products portfolio, according to the release.

Nutrien Ag Solutions is part of the Loveland, Colorado-based Nutrien Ltd. Nutrien is a large global provider of crop inputs and services, helping growers sustainably increase food production. Nutrien produces and distributes more than 26 million tonnes of potash, nitrogen and phosphate products.

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MSU’s 2024 preharvest Extension meeting is scheduled for June 25 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Trevor Nichols Research Center in Fennville, Michigan.

The event will include a brief industry update, and presentations from MSU blueberry specialists with recommendations on harvest-time insect and disease management, new plantings, irrigation, and WPS during harvest. If time allows, organizers plan to visit ongoing trials in the Trevor Nichols Research Center’s experimental plots.

The event will offer two restricted use pesticide (RUP) credits for growers attending the meeting.

There is no cost for attending, but organizers recommend preregistering online. Growers can preregister at: events.anr.msu.edu/BlueberryPreHarvest2024/

The preregistration should help organizers estimate attendance, handouts, dinner and refreshments. Sign up will begin at 5:30 p.m. and a light dinner of pizza is scheduled to be served before the meeting begins.

For more information, contact Carlos Garcia-Salazar, MSU Extension small fruit educator at the MSU Extension Agriculture and Agribusiness Institute, Fillmore Complex in Ottawa County at garcias4@msu.edu or Cheyenne Sloan, blueberry and small fruit educator in southwest Michigan at MSU’s Van Buren County Extension office in Paw Paw, Michigan, at sloanche@msu.edu.

The Trevor Nichols Research Center is at 6237 124th Ave, Fennville, MI, 49408.

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Jared Andrews will direct and lead daily operations and administrative duties at the two MSU AgBioResearch on-campus research centers, both located on the south side of the East Lansing campus.

The Plant Pathology Research Center is home to the university’s new research into plant diseases, including fire blight in apples and downy mildew in cucumbers and other cucurbits.

The Entomology Research Center houses new projects focused on insect physiology, integrated pest management and pollination. Researchers study ways to protect crops from pests including spotted wing drosophila, a small invasive fly that harms soft-fleshed fruits, and ways to support beneficial insects like honeybees.

“The fruit, vegetable, ornamental and field crop research that’s being done at MSU is important in maintaining its status as the nation’s pioneer land-grant university,” Andrews said in a news release. “I’m really excited to be able to continue helping these different departments with their research as a facilitator and as a resource.”

Andrews started in his new role on April 1. Before beginning at the two centers, he was assistant farm manager at the MSU Horticulture Teaching and Research Center. Andrews helped prepare and maintain field plots for research, facilitate structural repairs to the center and train student employees, among other organizational responsibilities.

Overall, Andrews has worked full-time at MSU for 13 years after graduating from the university in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in crop and soil sciences, with a specialization in sustainable agriculture and food systems.

In addition to holding the assistant farm manager position — as well as equipment and facility coordinator earlier in his career — at the Horticulture Teaching and Research Center, Andrews also worked in the MSU Office of Environmental Health and Safety as an industrial hygienist. In these roles, Andrews managed equipment and assisted with facility repairs at the center, and he conducted safety inspections at laboratories and research stations across campus.

“I’m a third-generation Spartan,” Andrews said in the release. “My grandmother went here. My father works here, and now I’m here. I’m excited to continue my work here and to remain a resource to everyone who’s using these facilities.”

In the release, James Averill, the assistant director of MSU AgBioResearch who oversees its on- and off-campus research centers, said the vast experience Andrews has collected throughout his career at MSU will ensure that both centers are cared for and the important research and education done there can continue.

“The MSU Plant Pathology and Entomology Research Centers will greatly benefit from Jared’s background in helping run the MSU Horticulture Teaching and Research Center, along with the insight he gained in safety management from the MSU Office of Environmental Health and Safety,” Averill said in the release. “We’re excited to have him and look forward to his contributions toward the impactful research and education happening at the centers.”

One of Andrews’ first priorities as farm manager will be to collaborate with other on-campus farm managers to share information and equipment. In the future, he said he’d like to help build out a cloud-based farm management system that research centers can use to engage faculty, staff and administrators.

“In the past, all of these centers were departmental facilities, and now having them under MSU AgBioResearch is helping us streamline our services,” Andrews said in the release. “Each center used to have their own pieces of equipment for everything, which wasn’t great in terms of finances, maintenance and storage.

“One of the goals on-campus farm managers are working on is to centralize our equipment to reduce that duplicity. If we do that, we can combine our financial power to get newer and more modern equipment for researchers to have available and for us to share across the board.”

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The program, a byproduct of the Salinas Biological Summit, will see its first field trials this year in California, with international trials planned for 2025. Platform10 is led by summit organizers Western Growers and Wharf42, a New Zealand consultancy that supports development of international agrifood systems.

“We wanted the summit to lead to action on behalf of the industry,” said Dennis Donohue, director of the Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology, an AgTech startup incubator in Salinas, California. “We decided to launch a branded initiative that focused on education, communication and grower-led innovation. That innovation is anchored by a Global Grower Trial Network that will work on key problems that require new tools, and address regulatory priorities and customer interests.”

The initial field trials will be managed by the Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology in Salinas. Unaffiliated third parties will oversee the trials, working with each company that developed the biopesticides being tested.

Initial research is focusing on six crops from 10 growers in California and major pests/diseases that growers of those crops battle: leafy greens (Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus, western flower thrips, pythium), table grapes (mealybugs, powdery mildew, botrytis), strawberries (lygus bugs, macrophomina, phytophthora), tomatoes (beet curly top virus, spread by beet leafhoppers; and tomato spotted wilt virus, spread by thrips) almonds and citrus (citrus thrips, red scale).

Less chemistry, more biology

Donohue said the California trials are expected to kick off in the second half of the year. “The goal is to be testing continuously in a ‘live’ commercial setting so products can be evaluated in a real-world situation,” Donohue said.

Companies chosen for the first field trials are AgroSpheres, Bayer, Boost Biomes, Impello Bio, Lallemand, ProFarm Group, Summit Agro and Vestaron.

“We are primarily working with products that have some trial data, registration progress and some funding,” Donohue said. “The goal is acceleration through intentional and strategic focus.” Field trials in other countries are expected in 2023; Donohue said domestic trials should work out any issues before the program expands internationally.

The plan is to announce new cohorts of product companies to participate in field trials every two years.

“This is a multi-year initiative to provide focus around key challenges and opportunities for the coming decade,” Donohue said. Global reach Donohue said research in other countries is key.

“The global aspect is designed to also create scale possibilities for the purposes of helping drive better cost opportunities for growers,” he said. “The global piece is quite important for the purposes of better economics and accelerated results on key problems.”

Platform10’s Global Partner Network details will be announced at the second annual Salinas Biological Summit, June 25-26.

Details about applying to participate in the global trials will be posted on the Platform10 website, platform10.ag, and social media channels. Interested companies can learn more by sending an email to platform10@salinas-summit.com.

Donohue said that “getting growers in the room” is an important focus of the biological summit. Research without spreading the word doesn’t advance the science to adoption among specialty crop growers. That’s why field trials, in connection with education at the summit and other channels, are important.

“Growers are more open to biologicals, but do have concerns about inconsistent results,” Donohue said. “But they certainly understand that we are heading towards a change in the (integrated pest management) ‘pie chart’ of less chemistry and more biology. “We think grower-led innovation is a key. Growers listen to other growers, so the commercial setting is critical.”

— By Chris Koger

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Building upon the success of its 2023 program, which encompassed more than 10,000 acres across diverse crops, including fruits and vegetables, this year’s initiative marks another milestone in ProGro BIO’s commitment to supporting and expanding regenerative agricultural practices, according to a news release.

The 2024 program, which has already been fully subscribed, is designed to further showcase the efficacy of ProGro BIO’s natural organic microbial soil inoculant, Rhizol.

Comprised of 35 microbial isolates in a highly concentrated form, Rhizol rejuvenates soil biodiversity paving the way for enhanced crop performance, yields, and support of regenerative farming practices, according to the release.

“On the heels of our successful 2023 program, interest in ProGro’s 2024 in program has been extremely well received,” Zach Lancaster, ProGro BIO field director, said in the release. “Buoyed by the success of last year’s program, we are significantly expanding into new geographies and markets with our 2024 program. With over 370 plots across 20 states, this year’s program engages participants from all sectors of agriculture including growers, consultants, universities, and research organizations. Our In-Field programs provide first-hand experience with Rhizol for farmers and crop consultants across the country paired with third-party supervision and data analysis.”

In 2023, ProGro BIO launched one of the largest agricultural in-field trial programs in recent years, spanning 22 states and encompassing numerous crop types. Results from the program demonstrated significant findings including expanded root systems and growth at the seedling stage, accelerated early season vigor, expedited foliar formation and leaf development, increased fruiting activity in the reproductive growth phase and net increases in crop yields, according to the release.

The company launched full commercial sales activities for the 2024 spring planting season.

Based in Atlanta, Georgia, ProGro BIO focuses on soil health and crop productivity through a line of all-natural soil inoculants designed to enhance biodiversity and resilience in agricultural ecosystems. The company’s all-natural organic microbial formulations are the most advanced formulations of beneficial bacterial and fungal strains available on the market. Rhizol is the result of three decades of research and development and testing that can increase crop yields, accelerate plant growth, strengthen soil to better defend against soilborne pathogens and destructive parasitic nematodes, and perpetuate drought resistance, according to the release.

ProGro offers crop protection products for onions, potatoes, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, watermelons, cover crops, and other vegetables.

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Soilborne oomycete diseases, including pythium and Phytophthora spp., afflict many crops through diseases including potato blight and downy mildews on many host plants including grapes, broccoli, onions, cucurbits and lettuce.

The company received approval from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation for the trademarked Thrive 4M fungicide (EPA Reg. No. 42750-391) in the state of California.

“Thrive 4M is a systemic fungicide that contains the active ingredient metalaxyl-M (mefenoxam),” Albaugh said in a news release. “It provides superior protection against soilborne oomycete diseases, including pythium and Phytophthora spp. in potato, tree nut, fruit, vegetable, and other labeled crops and may be applied using ground, aerial or chemigation methods. The unique formulation technology of Thrive 4M also provides excellent handling and storage.”

“Thrive 4M is a great addition to Albaugh’s fungicide portfolio that strengthens our product offerings for customers in our California specialty crop markets,” Andy Bogue, Albaugh’s U.S. sales director – crop protection, said in the release. “Not only does it provide an alternative option for disease protection on a myriad of crops, it also gives growers the added benefit of improved plant stands,
root health, and crop vigor.”

Founded in 1979, the privately held Ankeny, Iowa-based Albaugh calls itself the world’s largest supplier of post-patent crop protection products. It includes an expanding portfolio of crop protection products, seed treatment platform and other specialty products. Albaugh operates plants in North America, Mexico and Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Pacific.

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The meeting covered a broad range of topics that included regulatory updates from the Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commissioner, Jose Chang, as well as highlights of relevant research in the areas of strawberry disease diagnostics, disease-resistant cultivars, integrated pest management, weed science and production automation.

“Through partnerships with the Cal Poly Strawberry Center and the University of California, Davis, the CSC’s research and automation program is putting industry assessment dollars to work to generate knowledge and create solutions and products the industry needs to address both short- and long-term issues,” said Bill Turechek, Vice President of Research, CSC. “We’re striving to provide resources to manage soilborne diseases, continuing to innovate in the area of integrated pest management and water conservation, and bring new disease- and insect-resistant cultivars to our growers to assure an economically and environmentally sustainable California strawberry industry.” 

More than 80 industry members, including growers, pest control advisors (PCAs), industry representatives and agricultural researchers, attended. Turechek welcomed attendees and shared an update on the current state of the California strawberry industry, which produces 90% of strawberries grown in the United States. As the fourth most valuable crop in California, nearly 220 million trays were harvested in 2023.

PRODUCTION RESEARCH

Key areas of production research shared during the meeting included: 

• An update on strawberry disease diagnostics from the Cal Poly Strawberry Center 
• Strategies to optimize irrigation management  
• Progress toward the development of disease-resistant cultivars from the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) 
• Background and strategies for combatting pests like Lygus and Spotted Wing Drosophila  
• Industry automation program updates, including the strawberry decapper, lygus bug vac, UVC application for powdery mildew and two-spotted spider mite management, and the hoop house arch remover 

During the event, Turechek also shared updates on the current research underway in pathology and entomology and the top research priorities for 2025.

Recordings of the sessions will be available on calstrawberry.org for industry members who were not able to attend live. 

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