US (CA): UC Davis posts update on Strawberry Breeding Program

During six decades, the UC Davis Strawberry Breeding Program has developed more than 30 patented varieties, made strawberries a year-round crop in California, and boosted strawberry yield from just 6 tons per acre in the 1950s to 30 tons per acre today.

Thanks to the UC Davis program, California growers pay lower rates than others for strawberries and get access to new varieties before growers elsewhere. Fees from licensing strawberry varieties go back to the program to support the research and innovation on which the industry relies.

These strawberry plants are part of the research collection of some 1,700 strawberry plants managed by the UC Davis Public Strawberry Breeding Program. (Courtesy/UC Davis)

The mission of the applied public breeding program is to develop cultivars for the strawberry industry at competitive prices for small growers, family farms, and established farms. Professor Steve Knapp has revitalized the program to train the next generation of breeders and contributors needed to maintain this vital industry, and is applying the tools of genetics and genomics to make gains in areas such as disease resistance, drought and salinity tolerance, taste, and more.

If you want to know more about the breeding program, check out the FAQ posted on the UC Davis website.