Recent News
NEW BLOG POST: Strawberry Center Diagnostic Service
Nov 22, 2024
NEW BLOG POST: "Cal Poly Strawberry Center Diagnostics"
The pathology lab reflects on a productive year, with 185 plant samples processed to date—the highest since the service began in 2014. Supported by the California Strawberry Commission, this free diagnostic service continues to provide growers with accurate and timely results.
Learn more about the service and submission process: https://strawberrycenterblog.com/2024/11/18/cal-poly-strawberry-center-diagnostics/
The Center hosts a delegation from Kyrgyzstan
Nov 19, 2024
This past week, we had the honor of hosting a delegation from Kyrgyzstan, led by Tilek Toktogaziev, Chairman of the Berry Growers Association (Kyrgyz Republic). Their visit to California focused on learning about our agricultural practices with the aim of improving techniques and increasing berry production in their home country. It was a wonderful opportunity to exchange insights and foster mutual learning!
Photo Key (1st photo, left to right): Tologon Tekebaev, Arsen Tynybekov, Zukhra Ismailova, Mohammad Amir Aghaee, Tilek Toktogaziev and Kaiypbek Ismailov. Photo by Talgat Ukubaev.
Student assistant Joseph Simard featured in Cal Poly magazine
Nov 15, 2024
Proud moment for the Strawberry Center! One of our student assistants, Joseph Simard, was featured in Cal Poly's magazine for his work in firefighting handcrew Santa Lucia Crew 7. Joe started out as a lead sawyer in summer 2023 and is now the Alpha crew member. We’re inspired by his dedication at the Strawberry Center and on the frontlines of wildfire response! We’re lucky to have such a diverse team of students, each bringing unique experiences and skills to the Center. Check out the story here: https://magazine.calpoly.edu/fall-2024/forged-in-flame/
Photos by Joe Johnston.
Celebrating 10 years is the cover story for Cultivate magazine!
Nov 12, 2024
We’re honored to be featured as the cover story in Cultivate magazine, celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Cal Poly Strawberry Center! The story highlights our journey, growth and commitment to advancing strawberry research and supporting the industry. Here’s to a decade of innovation and collaboration—and many more to come!
Here's a link to the story (pp. 7-10): https://issuu.com/cafes.calpoly.edu/docs/cultivate_fall_2024_final
A huge thank you to AnnMarie Cornejo (Director of Communications, CAFES) and Lauren McEwen (4th year Ag Comms student) for writing this story.
Students & staff attend CAPCA's 50th Annual Conference
Nov 12, 2024
Quite a few staff and students represented the Strawberry Center at the California Association of Pest Control Advisors (CAPCA) 50th Annual Conference in Anaheim, CA. In attendance were Gerald Holmes (Center Director), Kyle Blauer (Field Research Manager), Stephen Pryor, Shaelyn Spencer, Taylor Hibino, Olivia Bruns and Sawyer Claussen (Student assistants). Dr. Holmes gave a presentation on disease management in strawberries.
Congratulations to CAPCA on their 50th Anniversary and for supporting Cal Poly student through scholarships and career advancement opportunities!
Transplanting Day 2024
Nov 5, 2024
60,741 plants over 2.4 acres!
While these numbers are quite modest for commercial growers, it's a milestone for our team at the Strawberry Center, marking the start of a new season of research. This year, we were fortunate to have cool, sunny weather on transplanting day—quite a change from past years with temperatures soaring above 95°F!
A huge thank you to our dedicated students, staff and the hardworking labor crews who completed the task in just one day. Special appreciation goes out to Sundance Berry Farms and Blazer Wilkinson Gee for providing labor crews, as well as Lassen Canyon Nursery and Crown Nursery for donating our bareroot transplants. After a day of hard work, seeing rows of strawberry transplants is a reward that makes every bent back and deep knee bend worth it!
Pathology Research Associate Sam Simard attends ASHS in Honolulu!
Oct 29, 2024
Sam Simard, our Pathology Research Associate, represented the Strawberry Center at the American Society for Horticultural Science 2024 Annual Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii.
She presented on the effect of planting date on strawberry yield during the Commercial Horticulture/ Federal Partners Poster Session. Great job, Sam!
You can view Samantha's poster here!
Food Science Department makes a new batch of strawberry jam!
Oct 25, 2024
We’re excited to share the results of our recent strawberry donation to the Department of Food Science & Nutrition! Thanks to Molly Lear and the Food Sciences team, a fresh batch of strawberry jam has been crafted using strawberries straight from our fields. This collaboration is a perfect example of students learning by doing, engaged in every step of the process—from field to final product. We're very proud of this hands-on partnership that turns our harvest into something special!
Head to our Instagram to see a video of the process: https://www.instagram.com/p/DBj0CL3TE-E/
You can purchase this at Campus Market stores and at the Cal Poly store in downtown San Luis Obispo.
Field preparation is finished!
Oct 22, 2024
Over the past few weeks, we've been busy prepping the fields for transplanting. This year, our acreage has increased with the inclusion of another field. Throughout this process, our students had the opportunity to help in every aspect - from discing the soil to laying the plastic. You'll see footage from almost every step of the process here. Our transplanting day is coming up at the end of October, so stay tuned!
The faces behind our Plant Pathology Program
Oct 14, 2024
Ever wonder whose behind the research? Take a look at the two faces of our Plant Pathology lab, Dr. Shashika Hewavitharana (Program Leader) and Sam Simard (Research Associate). These two work incredibly hard to conduct research and perform plant disease diagnostics for the industry. Their expertise doesn't stop at the lab; they’re also dedicated educators at Cal Poly, with Dr. Hewavitharana serving as an assistant professor and Sam as a part-time lecturer. We are very thankful to have them on our team!
