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Field-applied steam may help suppress soil-borne disease and weeds in strawberries, but it is too early to call it a proven route to higher yields. In small California trials, grower Rod Koda reported nearly twice as much organic strawberry output from his steam-treated plots as from his other plots that year. A University of California, Santa Cruz researcher also observed more berries and less damage from Fusarium wilt in the treated plots. Those are promising early observations, not a general yield guarantee.
How soil steaming works
Before planting, a machine injects steam into the soil to kill key soil-borne diseases and weeds. The approach adapts a technique used for decades in greenhouses to open-field crops. Its goal is to offer growers another way to manage soil problems, including as a possible alternative to chemical fumigants.
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CASE: The Untold Origins of a Machinery Giant: How One Man Harnessed Steam, Steel, and Soil to Shape... | $7.99 | Buy on Amazon |
The Associated Press reported from Watsonville, California, on October 8, 2026, that four California growers took part in the cited trials the previous fall. The report identifies High Degree as the agriculture startup testing the pictured machine, but does not establish that it is available for purchase.
What the strawberry trials have shown so far
A promising result on one farm
Koda said his steam-treated plots produced nearly twice the amount of organic strawberries as his other plots that year. He described the difference as “very noticeable.” The Associated Press report does not provide the underlying weights, plot sizes, trial table, or a full protocol, so the comparison should be understood as a grower-reported result from one farm—not proof that steam will double output elsewhere.
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Less Fusarium wilt damage observed
Jenny Broome, a University of California, Santa Cruz researcher, said the steam-treated plots produced more berries and had less damage from Fusarium wilt, a fungal disease. The report gives no quantified disease reduction. It also does not present a full results dataset or show that all four participating growers obtained the same outcome.
Why growers are exploring steam—and what could limit it
Soil-borne disease can put a crop at risk. Rick Tomlinson, president of the California Strawberry Commission, said researchers had worked on steam for more than a decade. The current challenge is engineering faster field application so the method can cover more acreage in a practical amount of time.
Cost-effectiveness and treatment speed remain open questions. The report gives no machine price, field capacity, energy use, or comparative economic data. It therefore does not establish whether steaming costs less than other approaches or can be deployed broadly at commercial scale.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Steam is one line of work among several: the report also mentions depriving soil of oxygen and developing more resistant plants, alongside chemical fumigants. It does not compare these options head to head for disease control, yield, economics, or the amount of fumigant use they avoid. Environmental advocates have raised concerns about fumigant exposure, but the report provides no exposure measurements or regulatory findings.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Could the method work beyond strawberries?
Broome said steam might also be useful for lettuce, carrots, and other high-yield crops. That is a prospective application, not a result established by the strawberry trials. The reported evidence is specific to early field work with California strawberry growers.
The scale of the California crop helps explain why growers are interested in new soil-management options: the Associated Press reported that nine out of 10 U.S.-grown strawberries come from California and that the state cultivated 35,000 acres (14,000 hectares) of strawberries. Those figures describe the industry context, not the area treated with steam.
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