It’s been nine months since I first began my post as the entomologist at the Strawberry Center, but it seems like two weeks. It has been a blur of activity to develop and run experiments, hire the right people, chug from the firehose, and be able to respond to issues. I was worried I would not have fresh data ready in time to disseminate to growers and industry members. Once the initial miticide and Lygus trials were completed I felt confident that I had material that would be helpful for Field Day attendees to learn. Colin, my research associate, and I prepared and practiced our talks and examined our data over the weeks leading up to Field Day.

With Field Day now completed I have some time to reflect on the journey so far and to further detail the destination ahead. I want to share three things I learned along the way.

Figure 1. A strawberry themed speedster traveling through whilst drinking coffee. Right: an image of the author taken by the Strawberry Commission on Cal Poly Field Day on August 8th, 2024

1. It’s all about teamwork and solidarity

Growers, processors, shippers, marketing, PCAs, pesticide companies, biocontrol companies, fertilizer manufacturers, researchers, breeders, ranch managers, pickers, tractor drivers, irrigators, sprayers and administrative staff are all critical to the infrastructure that gets a clamshell of strawberries to the consumer’s hand. Everyone has a role to play in guaranteeing the availability of strawberries. We tend to think that we as humans are the ones in control exploiting the wonderful juicy treasure of this hybrid species, but when you think about all the labor, blood, sweat, and tears that goes into maximizing the Darwinian potential of this species, are we really in charge?

Figure 2. Left: A Dall-E generated image of what it felt like at the beginning of the program with just me and Colin Koubek. Right: Photo by Jim Morris of Redox Bio Nutrients of the author and Colin Koubek.

2. Business logic vs. Bug logic

I know in my role as a research and outreach entomologist that what matters to the grower is taking home the bacon. Some are forced to tolerate Lygus damage because they gain more (or lose less) money by holding off and running out the clock. I saw this a lot in the Mid-South with corn and soy growers forgoing their herbicide sprays because they would simply lose more money trying to have a clean field. Although this is perfectly logical on the individual ranch level, it may lead to a classic tragedy of the commons where everyone begins to lose.

When a grower is forced to harvest an unprotected crop longer than anticipated, it lessens the financial pain in the short term but could lead to problems with neighbors or the second crop. This is where my research program is hoping to find solutions that address these convergences between the business and the bugs. The greatest gains will be made at the margins.

Figure 3. Dall-E generated image of a hooded warrior facing off against a stink bug holding the famed strawberry talisman that is key to high yields

3. Consistency, Persistency, Flexibility are key to success

Anytime you start a new job you hope you learn the ropes quickly. This job is no different where the Calpoly slogan of “learn by doing” is completely applicable. I can talk to PCAs and growers all day long but being in the field you learn how to adjust and make the right trial work to answer the question that you seek.

In this regard I feel like a gambler, there are opportunities which are risky but unless I trial them, I will not know if it’s good or bad for the grower. Whether it’s a new organic insecticide formulation, a new mode of action, a new version of Phytoseiulus persimilis, a predatory stink bug for Lygus, and pheromones, among other things, I cannot say with confidence if something will work or not 100%. However, I still need to prioritize by probability of success. Now if a product is mostly canola oil and water, I have a 95% chance of being correct that said product will not work as intended.

Being flexible of mind and schedule is important so I can sneak in another spray trial or test something in the lab. With some projects it requires persistency in finding the right spot to do the trial or being patient for when the insects show up to do a trial.

Last thought

Overall, I am very happy to be here with the Strawberry Center and re-establishing the entomology program with my personal flair. Killing bugs is fun and finding ways of doing it sustainably and profitably is the key performance indicator for success.