Royce S. Bringhurst (Fig. 1) helmed the UC Davis strawberry breeding program from 1953 to 1989, leaving an indelible mark on California agriculture. His biography, written by his son John R. Bringhurst, was published in 2018 and is available for purchase here. This 559-page book, supplemented by 165 pages of detailed notes, references, and an index, provides a rare and comprehensive look into the life of a pioneering scientist.
A Glimpse into a Pivotal Summer
In 1984, during my undergraduate years at Cal Poly Pomona, I interned at the South Coast Field Station in Irvine, California. At that time, the UC Davis strawberry breeding program, under Bringhurst and Victor Voth, was nearing its final years. Much of their groundbreaking research was conducted at the station. I often saw Victor Voth from afar but was advised to keep my distance because my co-workers said he was a cranky old man who didn’t want to be bothered. Shame on me for heeding bad advice! Observing the strawberry research plots from a distance, I had no idea how pivotal that work would become in my own career, which now revolves around strawberries.
The Biography: A Labor of Love
I had the privilege of speaking with John Bringhurst, now a retired physician in Utah. He shared that his father’s meticulous records compelled him to write this biography, a project that required two and a half years of full-time dedication. Considering the depth of the book, it’s remarkable it didn’t take even longer.
The biography spans 12 chapters, with chapter 9 focusing on Bringhurst’s contributions to strawberry breeding at UC Davis. However, skipping the earlier chapters would mean missing the personal journey that shaped the man. From his upbringing as a farm boy in Murray, Utah, to his years as a missionary for the LDS Church, and his service in WWII as a B-25 combat airman completing 65 bombing missions based out of Corsica, Italy—these experiences molded a member of what we now call “the Greatest Generation.”
The Strawberry Breakthroughs
The book presents clear explanations for readers interested in the details of strawberry breeding, even for those with no background in plant science. Particularly captivating is the story of day neutrality—a trait allowing strawberries to bear fruit regardless of day length. Bringhurst discovered this trait in wild strawberries in the Wasatch Mountains near Brighton, Utah. The book also recounts the development of several notable strawberry varieties, including ‘Tioga,’ ‘Chandler,’ ‘Selva,’ ‘Seascape,’ ‘Oso Grande,’ and ‘Camarosa,’ and the factors that determined their success or failure. You can see a bar-race chart showing the popularity of cultivars grown in California over a 30-year period on the Strawberry Center’s YouTube channel.
The narrative also delves into the patenting process for strawberry varieties and the roles played by the Strawberry Advisory Board and UC Davis. The royalties from patented varieties would become the most lucrative in the history of UC patents. These insights provide a fascinating look at the intersection of science, agriculture, and business.
The Bringhurst-Voth Collaboration
While Bringhurst led breakthroughs in breeding, Voth’s work focused on advancing strawberry farming practices. His innovations in strawberry culture included sprinkler irrigation, polyethylene mulch, annual and biannual planting schedules, soil fumigation, virus-free plant production through meristem culture and heat treatment, and the adoption of drip irrigation and banded pre-plant fertilization. These advances helped solidify California’s leadership in strawberry production and innovation.
The partnership between Bringhurst and Voth was both fruitful and complex. The author skillfully navigates their sometimes turbulent relationship, providing an honest portrayal without assigning blame. Their combined efforts, despite personal challenges, transformed California’s strawberry industry through cutting-edge genetics and pioneering cultural practices.
A Must-Read for Strawberry Enthusiasts
This biography is a treasure for anyone interested in the history of strawberry breeding in California. The story of Bringhurst and Voth is deeply intertwined with the rise of the state’s strawberry industry. Understanding their work provides a richer appreciation of both the science and the people who helped make California a global leader in strawberry production.
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Gerald,
Interesting review walk down memory lane. I took Royce Bringhurst’s Small Fruit Breeding class as a UC Davis grad student, circa 1981. Short-day “Chandler” was in final stages of field testing, not yet released. 44-years later, long retired, yet still recall making a simple exam question error. Strawberry is an allo-octoploid, not auto-octopoid, lol. Saved class materials, lecture notes, & exams 40-years, across moves to four states, referring occasionally until discarding a few years ago.
Royce Bringhurst’s success was achieved from mass selection, “pick the winner” breeding & selection. The dedicated diligence required to make mass selection advances achieved in one career span is an achievement on its own. As you note, likely related to LDS farm boy upbringing. Victor Voth was not the ogre you describe, in my recollection. Voth was “class T.A.,” leading us on field trips to near and distant field testing locations appropriate to the season.
Molecular tools were in infancy, new, not yet used in strawberry. Decades later I believe markers are still used mostly to screen seedlings, reducing plant populations taken to production environments to screen & select horticultural traits. Plant population sizes needed in mass selection trait evaluation remain a costly challenge to breeders!
You didn’t touch on the enormous yield contribution made from high-elevation nurseries under short-days (long-nights) that perfectly satisfied chilling requirement. I used to wonder if there are any true genetic day-neutral strawberry, or rather that Bringhurst’s collections you describe from the Wasatch Mtn. were “quantitative” long-day or short-day plants? From quantitative day-length sensitivity, among his genius was crossbreeding & selecting commercial cultivars that “behave” day-neutral?
Thanks for your comments Jack. I forgot that you were one of Bringhurst’s students. My comment about Voth being a “cranky old man” was something I would later learn was not true, thus the “shame on me for heeding bad advice” statement. One should always ground truth such things for themselves.
You’re right about the high-elevation nurseries getting the chilling hours at the right time. Not sure about day neutrality – something for a strawberry breeder to comment on. There are many other gems in the book. You would enjoy it.