This proposal addresses the BIOAg priority area: Breeding, varietal selection, management practices, processing, or marketing practices to increase food quality, nutrition, safety, or access. Arsenic contaminates soil and water in many areas around the world. Fruit growing areas of Washington are contaminated from lead arsenate use as an insecticide. Other regions have natural deposits or […]
This project addresses the BIOAg priority of innovation and diversification by supporting the formation of a hard cider industry in the Pacific Northwest. The project includes a comparison of juice of more than 50 hard cider apple varieties grown in the region, a comparison of select varieties grown in five regional orchards to better understand […]
The postharvest quality of small fruits is limited by fungal growth caused by spoilage organisms such as Penicillium expansum and Botrytis cinerea. Furthermore, the microbial safety of fresh produce is a common concern as highlighted by recent outbreaks caused by Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) […]
There is growing consumer demand for foods perceived as being safe, healthy and sustainable. Organic and no-till wheat are often perceived as safe and sustainable and are well-positioned to gain market share if nutritional or quality advantages can be identified. Considering the known effects of environmental conditions on grain yield and quality, we hypothesized that […]
In previous studies, we showed that apples, strawberries, and tomatoes grown with organic nitrogen fertilizer sources had higher phytochemical contents than those fertilized with readily available sources of nitrogen. It is also possible that increased pest herbivory in the field stimulates plant defenses that elevate these phytochemicals in organic crops. To test the relative contributions […]
High tunnels enhance and extend crop production by increasing air temperature and protecting the crop from rainfall. In high tunnel production systems, weeds are often controlled with plastic mulch. There is a desire to reduce non-recyclable waste by using biodegradable mulches (BDMs) that completely biodegrade in situ without detrimentally affecting yield, fruit quality, or the […]