Crops

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. […]

Shaping the Future of Buckwheat in Western Washington Agroecosystems

Buckwheat is a common summer cover crop in western Washington (WWA) that provides exceptional weed suppression and pollinator support to crop rotations. However, buckwheat is rarely grown to seed in WWA due to lack of access to high performing and characterized varieties. Release of high-yielding public varieties could transform the value of buckwheat in rotation, […]

Selecting winter wheat for more than just yield: Improving soil health, microbial diversity, and grain micronutrient density across Washington State

There is much we do not know about the soil microbiome and little has been done to explore soil microbe x plant genotype x environment interactions. Classical wheat breeding strategies focus on yield and aboveground metrics, but recent work has identified soil and rhizosphere (area of the soil influenced by roots) characteristics that can be […]

Improving Forage Quantity and Quality through Organic Fertilizer and No-Till Seeding in Western Washington

Forage production is the largest agricultural land use in western Washington supporting a diverse livestock industry. Poor grazing management and repeated hay removal, without amendment contribute to reduced productivity, encroachment of weeds, erosion, and inadequate forage quality to support animal health. This integrated research and extension project will address the WSU Sustaining Resources Grand Challenge. […]

Artificial Intelligence and related digital technologies to support production, safety, and sustainability of irrigated perennial high-value crops.

The intelligent digital systems are already disrupting many industries, and evolving technologies are rapidly finding their way to agriculture, with examples starting to mount. WSU being leader in applied agricultural research needs to increase our program footprint in artificial intelligence driven digital technologies. In such an effort, our team is developing an application to the […]

Rotating out of weeds and into soil health: Optimizing cover crops in three Columbia Basin organic production systems

Weeds cause extensive loss in agricultural production and are particularly damaging in organic systems. Control generally relies on mechanical cultivation which reduces soil carbon, decimates soil fauna, and increases erosion potential. Cover cropping, a biologically intensive practice, can be an effective tool to reduce weed pressure and improve soil quality, but it also introduces new […]

Evaluating Commercial Specialty Mushroom Production Feasibility for Diversified Farms and Small Woodland Owners in Western WA

Forest-grown specialty mushroom production may be an economical, low-impact, ecologically-appropriate enterprise for diversified farms and small woodland owners in western WA and the greater western Pacific Northwest (PNW). Nonetheless, to date, there has been little Extension research, publications, or formalized programs in the PNW on this subject as a commercial enterprise. In contrast, several northeastern […]

Evaluating regulated deficit irrigation in cider apple orchards for improved water use efficiency, reduced labor input, and improved fruit quality

Irrigation efficiency is a priority for sustainable orchard management. Regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) is a management strategy that has been shown to conserve water, reduce vegetative growth and pruning costs, reduce leaching of agrochemicals into groundwater, and improve fruit quality attributes. In apple specifically, fruit quality effects of RDI have included reduced fruit size and […]

High-throughput screening of forage crops for environmentally sustainable crop production

Improving the sustainability of agriculture requires a wide range of research from the basic to the applied, from molecular to whole organism, and from field to system level. In-field studies are irreplaceable for gaining knowledge of best practices, varieties, rotations, crop mixtures, and other factors that will make real differences in agricultural productivity and environmental […]

Impact of manure-derived fertilizers on bacterial community and antibiotic resistance genes in Washington red raspberry fields

Washington State is the number one producer of processed red raspberries in the nation. Raspberry growers in Whatcom County rely on dairy manure as a ready source to improve soil health prior to planting. Soil is a dynamic entity harboring billions of microorganisms and plays a crucial role in plant production. The microbial quality of […]