Between 1970 and 2016, strawberry growers heavily relied on the highly effective soil fumigant
methyl bromide (MeBr) to control pathogens and weeds. When MeBr was banned by a global
treaty to protect the ozone layer in 2005 and phased out over the next decade, growers had to
turn to other alternatives. Coincidentally, two devastating soil-borne diseases (charcoal rot and
Fusarium wilt) first appeared in 2005 and 2006 and another (Verticillium wilt) became more
prevalent and troublesome in the aftermath of the MeBr phaseout, greatly increasing economic
risks for growers in the US. The long-term goals of the proposed initiative are to reduce these
risks and increase the sustainability of strawberry production across the US. This will beaccomplished by identifying, monitoring, and managing pathogen threats; mining elite and wild
genetic resources to identify natural sources of resistance to pathogens; and accelerating the
development of commercial cultivars resistant to a broad spectrum of soil-borne and aboveground
pathogens. This research specifically focuses on: developing a deeper understanding of
economic and socioeconomic factors underlying rapidly evolving production systems; detecting,
quantifying, and minimizing pathogen threats in strawberry production; developing deeper
insights into genetic mechanisms underlying disease resistance; accelerating the development of
disease resistant cultivars through the application of genomic technologies; and delivering
cultivars with commercially viable levels of resistance to multiple soil-borne and above-ground
pathogens. The proposed initiative is aligned with the mission of the SCRI to develop solutions
to scientific problems that address critical stakeholder needs.
