P-150 - Barriers to adopting sanitation for managing soilborne pathogens in strawberry production

Soilborne pathogens such as Macrophomina phaseolina, Verticillium dahliae, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae, and Phytophthora sp. pose serious threats to strawberry production. Affected fields are more costly to manage and often experience reduced yields. These pathogens can spread between fields on tools, equipment, and clothing contaminated with infected soil, emphasizing the need for effective field sanitation. The study aims to identify practical and effective sanitation strategies to reduce pathogen transmission. Two components of this research are to: (1) Conduct in vitro trials to evaluate the efficacy of bleach, ethanol, Lysol®, Virkon S.® and Oxidate® in reducing pathogen viability on contaminated surfaces; and (2) Survey growers, farm managers, and pest control advisors across the Santa Maria and Oxnard production districts in California to assess current field sanitation practices, gauge perceived effectiveness, and identify barriers to implementation. Evaluating the sanitizing agents, preliminary results showed variability in performance against M. phaseolina, with Ethanol demonstrating the greatest pathogen inhibition. For the grower survey, responses to date suggested that growers employ common sanitation approaches but also revealed gaps and challenges in adoption, such as field sanitization being too costly and time-consuming. By integrating lab and survey findings, this research advances our understanding of field sanitation and informs practical, evidence-based strategies for managing soilborne pathogens in commercial strawberry systems.