Currently, two promising varieties are going through evaluation and may be released in the next few years. Not named yet, they are referred to as 2678-1 and 3009-1.
In 2021, Bernadine Strik received the highest honor bestowed by the International Society for Horticultural Science for her industry-changing program on berries.
Because of vole activity in the Willamette Valley from 2018-2021, crops disappeared, pastures were ruined and young blueberries and orchard trees girdled.
Funded in part by an endowment, Scott Lukas' new position takes on the research, teaching and outreach led for 34 years by recently retired Bernadine Strik.
Field trials at NWREC and other research locations have shown that the tunnels are successful at extending the strawberry season for day-neutral cultivars.
Kym Pokorny |
Aug 11, 2022 |
News story
Credit Oregon State University (Cropped from original)
Bernadine Strik’s innovative research and Extension outreach had an impact in the Oregon berry industry, valued at $123 million a year, throughout the United States and in other berry regions worldwide.
The purpose of the Berry Initiative’s strawberry work has been to develop methods for growers interested in year-round fresh strawberry production in Oregon.
Called a soft catch system, the mechanism boasts a soft surface for catching the delicate berries in contrast to the hard polycarbonate surface of traditional over-the-row machines.