California Berry Cultivars, LLC (CBC) announced the commercial release of two strawberry varieties: Castaic and Alhambra. These additions join CBC's established varieties Adelanto, Belvedere, and Alturas to create a comprehensive portfolio addressing critical production challenges.
Castaic emerges as a yield powerhouse for short-day strawberry production, routinely achieving yields exceeding 8,000 trays per acre.
"Castaic shows that we still have significant room to push yield boundaries in strawberry breeding," said Kyle VandenLangenberg, director of research & development at CBC. "Its performance in commercial trials has consistently outpaced industry benchmarks while maintaining substantial berry size throughout the entire harvest season."
Complementing the Castaic release, Alhambra addresses a decade-long challenge in the day-neutral summer strawberry market. Following the company's tradition of flavor-focused breeding, Alhambra delivers robust commercial yields while providing the rich, sun-kissed sweetness consumers demand, offering growers a viable alternative with the quality buyers require.
"With Alhambra joining our established varieties, we now offer solutions across the full spectrum of production windows and agronomic challenges," said VandenLangenberg. "Our commitment to solving grower problems continues to drive our breeding program forward."
Left: Castaic strawberry plant. Right: Alhambra strawberries.
Adelanto, CBC's first release, transformed early-season production with yields of 1,500-2,000 trays per acre by March 1 in Southern California, creating immediate cash flow advantages for growers transitioning from deficit to profitability and proved true to its Spanish name meaning "forward." The variety also had excellent shipping quality and strong Macrophomina resistance.
Belvedere offers flavor in short-day production with consistently high brix levels and a distinctive aroma that maintains quality taste profiles beyond peak season. Its dual-yield advantage delivers notable early production with outstanding total yield potential, while its elite resistance to Macrophomina significantly reduces crop loss.
Alturas emerged as the practical solution to the devastating spread of Fusarium in California's day-neutral production. Its reliable resistance protects investments while delivering among the highest total yields available in its category, coupled with attractive large, light-red berries with memorable juiciness and efficient open plant architecture.
"All five varieties share our dedication to disease resistance, yield improvement, and excellent eating quality," said VandenLangenberg. "With each new release, we're solving critical challenges while raising expectations for what growers can achieve with modern strawberry varieties."
CBC will host a field day during the first week of May in Watsonville, where the company will unveil a new day-neutral variety to complement Alturas, as well as a highly disease-resistant cultivar specifically developed for organic day-neutral production.
For more information:
Kyle VandenLangenberg
California Berry Cultivars, LLC
info@cbcberry.com
https://www.caberrycultivars.com/