Golden State Today

The University of California, Davis, has entered new agreements to license over a dozen of its renowned strawberry varieties to growers worldwide. These agreements enable nurseries and fruit growers in Mexico, South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East to access all available varieties developed by the UC Davis Public Strawberry Breeding Program.

UC Davis-developed strawberry plant varieties account for about 60% of all strawberries consumed globally.

Global Plant Genetics (GPG), based in the UK, will add 15 legacy varieties of UC Davis strawberry plants to its existing portfolio in China, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. GPG has been a master licensee for UC Davis since 2018 and already oversees licensing of a dozen more recently developed UC Davis varieties in these markets.

Fresa Fortaleza (F2) is now the master licensee for legacy varieties in Mexico. Since 2020, this San Diego-based company has been the master licensee in Mexico for more recently developed UC Davis varieties.

Earlier this year, UC Davis ended its relationship with former master licensee Eurosemillas regarding these legacy varieties.

"We are pleased to have expanded our agreements with GPG and Fresa Fortaleza," said Helene Dillard, dean of the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. "We appreciate the shared commitment to maintaining outstanding relationships with our nurseries and growers and providing vigorous support for the UC Davis Public Strawberry Breeding Program."

The new agreements cover:

- The European Union, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom

- Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay

- China

- Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco and Turkey

The UC Davis Public Strawberry Breeding Program aims to meet growers' needs by developing strawberries with desirable traits such as higher yield, better flavor, disease resistance, and adaptability to various growing conditions. The university directly licenses strawberry varieties to nurseries in Canada and the U.S., offering California strawberry growers exclusive access to new varieties for two years along with reduced royalty rates.

Funded primarily through revenue from licensing strawberry varieties, the program also trains students and postdoctoral researchers to become leaders in this field.