Key Takeaways
- Ohalo launches the Strawberry Consortium, collaborating with industry leaders to develop uniform true-seed strawberry varieties.
- Utilizing a proprietary hybrid breeding system, Ohalo aims to improve flavor, sustainability, and economic viability in strawberry production.
- True-seed propagation eliminates the need for vegetative propagation, reducing time, cost, and pesticide use.
- Led by Dr. Phil Stewart, former Driscoll’s breeder, the program aims to deliver high-yield, disease-resistant, and flavorful strawberry varieties.
- Industry leaders, including BlazerWilkinsonGee, California Giant Berry Farms, Central West Produce, Crown Nursery, Naturipe Berry Growers, and Wish Farms, support the initiative.
Ohalo Strawberry Consortium Aims to Transform Strawberry Breeding
Ohalo® has launched the Ohalo Strawberry Consortium, a collaboration with leading strawberry growers, packers, and marketers to advance strawberry breeding through a hybrid breeding system. The initiative seeks to develop true-seed strawberry varieties, improving efficiency, sustainability, and market accessibility.
Traditionally, strawberry plants are propagated vegetatively, requiring multiple cycles of runner shoots, which is costly and time-intensive. Ohalo’s hybrid breeding system eliminates this need by enabling direct seeding of uniform strawberry plants, offering a faster and more scalable approach.
Dave Friedberg, CEO of Ohalo, stated: “We are thrilled to collaborate with leading strawberry growers, packers, and marketers to bring more flavorful, sustainable, and economically valuable strawberry varieties to market. This partnership accelerates our vision of transforming the strawberry industry for the benefit of farmers, retailers, consumers, and the environment.”
Hybrid Breeding System: Reducing Time and Costs
The traditional method of strawberry propagation involves nursery-based vegetative multiplication, which can take years to complete. Ohalo’s hybrid breeding approach introduces true-seed propagation, offering several benefits:
- Reduces time and cost associated with nursery-based runner propagation.
- Minimizes pesticide use, improving environmental sustainability.
- Accelerates breeding cycles, allowing for faster adaptation to market needs.
Breeding Leadership: Dr. Phil Stewart Joins Ohalo
The strawberry breeding program will be led by Dr. Phil Stewart, known as “Dr. Strawberry”, who previously served as Head of Global Strawberry Breeding at Driscoll’s.
Dr. Phil Stewart commented: “For years, consumers have demanded better-flavored strawberries, retailers have sought consistent quality and shelf life, and farmers have faced pressures from disease, labor shortages, and production costs. Our hybrid breeding system will address these challenges, delivering improved strawberry varieties that benefit the entire value chain.”
The hybrid breeding approach enables precise genetic improvement, ensuring predictable trait selection in each generation. The Consortium expects its first varieties to enter field trials next year, with commercial availability to follow.
Expanding Access: Open-Source Breeding Model
Unlike many closed breeding programs, the Ohalo Strawberry Consortium will make its varieties broadly available as true-seed to growers worldwide. This ensures that farmers of all scales can benefit from improved genetics and production efficiencies.
Industry Collaboration and Market Support
The Ohalo Strawberry Consortium is backed by a group of leading industry partners, including:
- BlazerWilkinsonGee
- California Giant Berry Farms
- Central West Produce
- Crown Nursery
- Naturipe Berry Growers
- Wish Farms
Gary Wishnatzki, Owner of Wish Farms, added: “Partnering with Ohalo made perfect sense. As an innovation leader, we were excited to join forces to drive change in the industry.”
