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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Winter pea could be a transformative crop in Washington due to high yields, tolerance for a wide range of conditions, and potential to provide income stability for farmers. In contrast to spring peas, winter peas have higher nutrition and can grow in more severe environments. Yet, although acreage of winter peas is growing rapidly, there […]
State-wide mapping of soil-health indicators and related agricultural practices is key to tracking our progress towards improving sustainability of agriculture. While this information and low-cost platforms to gather this information for large areas are currently lacking, there have been some recent successes such as satelliteimagery based tillage class mapping for the United States Corn Belt. […]
Very large quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2) will need to be removed from the atmosphere over the course of the next century or two to stabilize Earth’s climate at a safe temperature. A handful of C-drawdown approaches are available to perform this task, three of which involve soils: increasing stocks of soil organic matter (SOM), […]
Sustainable agriculture in Washington State drives to be economically viable while being environmentally responsible through improvements made to both on- and off-farm practices. Effective and efficient monitoring programs are an essential piece of policy implementation and adaptive management for sustainability. In our previous BioAg research, we hypothesized that remotely sensed data are underutilized in these […]
While some barriers have been removed over the last few years, BIPOC communities, including immigrant, refugee, tribal, and farmworker communities, have not fully participated in USDA Programs. Gaps still exist within the agricultural system that limit access to land acquisition, farming education, and capital for small to mid-scale BIPOC farmers which limits culturally relevant food […]