When people bring home a carton of California strawberries, they probably aren’t thinking about plant diseases, soil health, or the students spending long days collecting samples in a field.
As a plant pathologist, I do.
Because behind every strawberry is years of research, countless hours of fieldwork, and a shared commitment to finding better ways to grow food. Every improvement we make today helps ensure that future generations can continue enjoying fresh, healthy strawberries while responsibly caring for our natural resources.
That is why the work happening at Cal Poly’s Strawberry Center matters.
The Strawberry Center is unlike most research programs. It is where science meets the realities of farming. Students, faculty, engineers, and California strawberry growers work side by side to tackle the challenges that will shape the future of agriculture—from emerging plant diseases and water efficiency to soil health, automation, and new strawberry varieties that can thrive under changing conditions.
What makes this work so valuable is that it doesn’t stop in the laboratory.
Every improvement we make today helps ensure that future generations can continue enjoying fresh, healthy strawberries while responsibly caring for our natural resources.
Ideas are tested where they matter most: in commercial strawberry fields, under real growing conditions, alongside the growers who understand these challenges firsthand. Research only creates value when it leads to practical solutions farmers can confidently adopt.
That partnership is what makes the Strawberry Center so unique.
For decades, California strawberry growers, through the California Strawberry Commission, have invested in research because they know farming requires constant innovation. Their commitment has created an environment where scientists and growers learn from one another, where Cal Poly students gain learn-by-doing experience solving real-world problems, and where discoveries move quickly from research plots into commercial fields.
As researchers, we investigate questions that consumers may never think about but that affect every berry they purchase. How can we identify a soilborne pathogen before it damages a crop? How can stronger strawberry varieties naturally withstand disease? How can farmers use water more efficiently? How can new technologies improve precision while supporting the people who grow our food?
These aren’t academic exercises. They’re questions that influence food security, environmental stewardship, farm productivity, and the long-term sustainability of California agriculture.
Our students are central to this work. Undergraduate and graduate researchers aren’t simply learning science from a textbook—they’re helping generate new knowledge. They work alongside growers, collect field data, evaluate emerging technologies, and develop the critical thinking skills needed to solve tomorrow’s agricultural challenges.
One of the most rewarding parts of my job is watching those students become future leaders and our collaborators.
I’m especially encouraged by the growing number of women pursuing careers in agricultural science. Across the Strawberry Center, women serve as faculty members, graduate researchers, laboratory leaders, and technical specialists who are advancing plant science and sustainable farming. Their leadership strengthens both our research today and the future of agriculture.
Ultimately, the Strawberry Center is about much more than strawberries.
It’s about ensuring that future generations have access to safe, nutritious food grown with care. It’s about preparing the next generation of scientists and agricultural leaders. And it’s about demonstrating what is possible when universities, researchers, and California strawberry growers work together with a shared commitment to continuous improvement.
The next time you enjoy California strawberries, I hope you’ll remember that behind every berry is a community of farmers, students, researchers, and innovators working every day to build a healthier, more sustainable future for the food we all depend on. ∆
Dr. Hewavitharana leads the Cal Poly Strawberry Center’s Plant Pathology Program.
