Organic berries better, researcher says: Two-year study looked at Watsonville strawberry harvests

WATSONVILLE -- If you want a better berry, go organic, a new strawberry study says.

What's more, organic strawberry growers produce more healthful soil, according to the two-year study of 26 fields in the Watsonville area.

The study, published this week in the online journal, PLoS One, lends credence to the beliefs of many organic strawberry consumers.

"They think they are healthier. They buy them because they are tastier, and they buy organic strawberries because they are better for the Earth," said John Reganold, the Washington State University professor who led the multidisciplinary research team.

The research was conducted on 13 adjacent pairs of organic and conventional fields used by growers of Driscoll's and Pacific Gold berries in 2004 and 2005.