Strawberries

Evaluation of Organic Strawberry Transplants for Organic Strawberry Production

Conventional strawberry nurseries that fumigate soils with methyl bromide and other synthetic chemicals prior to propagation are currently the main source of transplants for both conventional and organic production systems. While many organic strawberry growers have expressed dissatisfaction with having to use conventional transplants, organic transplants simply are not commercially available. In part, commercial availability of organic transplants has been limited due to a lack of tested varieties as well as a lack of supply during the traditional planting season.

Flowering Plants in Organic Strawberry Fields to Enhance Natural Enemies and Pollinators and Improve Pest Control and Fruit Quality

Methods to conserve and augment beneficial insects in modern horticultural production systems are needed given issues with pest resistance to insecticides, pest resurgence due to lack of natural enemies, and replacement of native with invasive species. Production systems also require pollinators and, in recent years, declines in managed and wild species have been well documented. Organic agriculture systems are less disturbed by insecticides and well suited to benefit from practices designed to improve abundance and diversity of beneficial insects.

Control of the western tarnished plant bug, Lygus hesperus (Knight) in an organic strawberry production system using trap crops, mass-released parasitoids, and tractor-mounted vacuums

Strawberry growers on the Central Coast of California have long observed that the principal cosmetic pest of their crop, the western tarnished plant bug (WTPB) or lygus bug, Lygus hesperus (Knight) establishes populations in strawberry fields in mid-season in relation to the proximity and flowering status of weedy, broadleaved hosts in adjacent areas. WTPB is known to be hosted in winter and early spring by numerous wild hosts which serve as a bridge to the infestation of strawberry fields when strawberry host flowers and small green fruit become abundant.

Nutrient analysis of organic strawberries: effect of cultivars and mycorrhizal inoculations

Objectives

1. Demonstrate the relative nitrogen performance of standard California cultivars grown under organic management.

2. Determine if a commercial arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) inoculant could provide mineral nutritional benefit, especially on phosphorus, to the cultivars being tested in the first objective.

3. Provide information that will aid organic strawberry producers in fertility management. 

Maintaining agroecosystem health in an organic strawberry/vegetable rotation system

Continued growth of organic strawberry and vegetable production in California faces two challenges: soil-borne disease management without use of synthetic chemical fumigants, and fertility management to optimize fertility input use while ensuring protection of vulnerable habitats.
 
The goal of this project is to demonstrate effects of diverse organic strawberry/vegetable rotations and integrated ecological practices on agroecosystem health.
 

Nutrient analysis of organic strawberries: effect of cultivars and mycorrhizal inoculations

Objectives 1. Demonstrate the relative nitrogen performance of standard California cultivars grown under organic management. 2. Determine if a commercial arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) inoculant could provide mineral nutritional benefit, especially on phosphorus, to the cultivars being tested in the first objective. 3. Provide information that will aid organic strawberry producers in fertility management.

Conserving and restoring pollination services in organic farms of Yolo and Solano Counties, Northern California

Native bee pollinators link natural habitats with agricultural areas. Native bee populations may rely on natural habitats to provide forage and nesting resources during part of the year, and agricultural areas the rest of the year. Native bee pollinators may provide pollination services in both areas, and may in turn depend on both. Thus problems in one area could affect the other.

Effectiveness of compost extracts as disease suppressants in fresh market crops in BC

One of the major challenges facing organic producers is disease management. The losses in vegetable production due to disease can be significant and in some, cases, can devastate entire crops. Cultural methods of disease  control are commonly used on organic farms. The application of organic chemicals for disease control is often a
last resort and regulated while biological control is still not readily available. The use of compost extracts, then, presents a simple, inexpensive and potentially effective method to supplement the on-farm disease management program.