Grants

Improving Soil Health in Diversified Agroforestry and Silvopasture Systems of NE Washington

Soil health in agroforestry systems is largely lacking in the literature and a great need for data-driven practices has been expressed throughout NE Washington by local foresters, landowners, and tribal units. Forested systems exhibit vastly differing soil biota and response to land management compared with established treatments for soil health improvement in other agroecosystems. Therefore, […]

Mapping Colorado potato beetle to promote proactive management in potato

Potatoes are one of the highest value crops grown in Washington, but growers face threats from pests such as Colorado potato beetle (CPB). Because potatoes are an annual crop that grows for only 4-5 months, these pests live outside of crop fields from approximately September to May, and adults migrate into fields in late spring […]

A SmartChip for Pathogenic and Beneficial Microbes Underlying Soil Health

High-throughput, low-cost diagnostics for multiple aspects of soil health are a necessary component of maximizing the ability of researchers to understand soil health processes and farmers to effectively adopt soil health management practices. Across many growing regions of WA, soilborne diseases are a major limitation and given their patchy nature a large number of samples […]

Integrating drones into weed management on the Palouse

Farmers on the Palouse are increasingly spending more resources to manage weeds. Weed management, in part, requires fine scale knowledge of weed populations. Mapping weeds with drones is promising but requires knowledge of environmental variation and weed phenology. Application of drones in weed management is growing globally but local applications on the Palouse are limited. […]

Compost Teas for Enhanced Nutrient Cycling

With increasing fertilizer and fuel costs, producers are increasingly keen to improve on-farm nutrient cycling through biologically intensive methods. Currently, poor plant-soil-microbe interactions do not support healthy nutrient flow, which limits crop yield and favors fertilizer-dependent farming. Slow residue breakdown also inhibits direct seeding adoption and adherence since heavy residue at seeding time impedes direct […]

Comparison of disease resistance among heritage chicken breeds

Organic poultry farming is uniquely threatened by infectious disease, because organic farming practices increase chicken exposure to parasites and pathogens while simultaneously restricting the use of drugs and chemicals that control infections. “Heritage” chicken breeds, which are commonly used in organic farming, may possess endogenous disease resistance. However, it is unclear how resistance to infection […]

Evaluating cellulose nanofibers for managing potato diseases

Cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) are non-toxic nanomaterials derived from plant cellulose, which is the most abundant, renewable biomass found in nature. Recently, CNFs were shown to effectively reduce the severity of Asian soybean rust, generating much attention for agricultural use. To investigate the potential application of CNFs for field crops including potatoes, this proposed project will […]

Growers’ perceptions of IPM in pear across regions in the Pacific Northwest  

Pear IPM programs focusing on selective pesticides and cultural controls are demonstrated to effectively manage the most challenging pest, pear psylla, better than conventional programs relying on broad-spectrum insecticides. IPM programs are also less expensive, safer for workers, and more environmentally responsible. Washington pear growers spray 10-15 broad-spectrum insecticides per season, costing around $1500/acre while […]

Building Soil Health Resiliency Through Vermicompost Tea Application

Agricultural intensification to meet the food needs of an increasing global population has placed tremendous pressure on our ability to maintain the health and quality of our soils. More holistic agricultural systems that encourage sustainable waste management and reuse are urgently needed to protect soil health and its roles in food production and security. Vermicompost […]

Identifying biocontrol agents for X-disease vectors to allow integrated pest management in cherries

X-disease, colloquially referred to as “little cherry disease” is the key threat to Pacific Northwest cherry production and the only management options are tree removal and control of leafhoppers that vector the phytoplasma pathogen. With little natural enemy knowledge, vector control focuses only on chemical controls, suspending integrated management principles. Here, we propose using primers […]