This article discusses the sap beetle (also called a picnic beetle) Lobiopa insularis (Cast.), which is a late-season pest of strawberries.

Strawberries can be grown in all parts of the state and have been an important horticulture crop for many years. With a good crop, good harvest labor and excess to markets, strawberries can return high profits.

The correct use of drip irrigation provides an ideal soil moisture level for plant growth.

Stressing that production agriculture alone is not enough to sustain rural economies, a leading food science expert said farm productivity needs to be converted to consumer-ready products.