The California Strawberry Commission filed a lawsuit against UC Davis in October 2013 regarding its acclaimed strawberry breeding program. The commission expressed concern that the university was planning to end its breeding program.
In April 2014, following months of meetings with the strawberry commission, the university filed a motion with the Alameda County Superior Court, asking that the lawsuit be dismissed as meritless.
The university has assured the commission and other stakeholders that it is continuing the public breeding program, maintaining duplicate copies of each plant in the breeding program and recruiting for a new breeder with advanced genomic skills to join the program.
During six decades, the program has developed more than 30 patented varieties, made strawberries a year-round crop in California, and boosted strawberry yield from just six tons per acre in the 1950s to 30 tons per acre today.
In May 2014, at the request of California Assemblyman Luis Alejo of the 30th Assembly District, both the university and the strawberry commission agreed to enter formal mediation to resolve issues related to the future of the UC Davis strawberry breeding program. One mediation meeting was held in June, presided over by retired judge William Cahill, and a second meeting is scheduled for August.
For more details on the UC Davis Strawberry Breeding Program please read our frequently asked questions.






Announcements
Job Offers
- Assistant Nursery Manager - Tasmania, Australia
- Tissue Culture Lab / Operations Manager - Victoria, Australia
- Irrigation Manager - Tasmania or Victoria
- Chief Executive Officer Hortifrut IG Berries
- Head of Operations - Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Greenhouse grower / production manager - Brazil
- Experienced International Trade Specialist
- Packaging Supervisor
- Nursery Production Manager South Australia
- Advisor / Account manager horticulture Japan
"Tweeting Growers"
Top 5 -yesterday
- Artificial photosynthesis can produce food without sunshine
- Finnish lettuce greenhouse uses industry waste wood to heat the greenhouse
- New ToBRFV-resistant varieties presented for Mexico
- CABY virus resurfaces in cucumber greenhouse: "Sometimes there was hardly any aphid to be found in the crop"
- 21-year-old student establishes hydroponics business with only P1,000
Top 5 -last week
Top 5 -last month
Receive the daily newsletter in your email for free | Click here
Other news in this sector:
- 2022-06-23 New greenhouse lighting helps researchers’ urgent need for speed
- 2022-06-16 Rijk Zwaan lettuce varieties have resistance against newest Fusarium race
- 2022-06-16 $12.1 million announced for agriculture genomics projects in Alberta
- 2022-06-15 US: New source for locating seed suppliers
- 2022-06-13 New approach to raspberry breeding in Italy
- 2022-06-09 National coordinators meet in Sweden to discuss plant genetic resources
- 2022-06-08 New greenhouse Enza Zaden Tanzania by Bosman Van Zaal
- 2022-06-06 Lettuce is a staple of the American diet
- 2022-06-06 Sustainable aquaponics farm on Kauai
- 2022-05-25 Driscoll's newest innovation now in the grocery aisle
- 2022-05-25 What happens when plants have stress reactions to touch
- 2022-05-24 Gene-edited tomatoes boosting vitamine D could soon be sold in England
- 2022-05-24 US: Scientists turn tomatoes into a rich source of vitamin D
- 2022-05-24 Structure of “gliding bird” plant defense protein could lead to better crops
- 2022-05-23 Health Canada: not all gene-edited crops require pre-market safety assessment
- 2022-05-20 UF scientists may have found a way to more efficiently apply genome editing to plant breeding
- 2022-05-16 "You can plant the seed yourself, but true growth is achieved together"
- 2022-05-16 Growing a better strawberry
- 2022-05-16 How hybrid plant varieties could address the challenges of food security
- 2022-05-13 Ghana: WACCI calls for strategic investments in tomato seed systems