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, […]
Tillage is a crucial stage in annual agricultural systems that terminates overwintering vegetation, incorporates plant residues, and prepares the soil for crops. These activities degrade soil health and impact indicators such as soil microbial biomass, organic matter, and aggregate stability. Weed populations are also influenced by tillage as seed and vegetative parts are horizontally and […]
Microbiota associated with fruits are strongly affected by agricultural practices, but there is only sparse data available on fungal and bacterial diversity in biologically intensive, organic, and conventional apples and none on pears. In Europe, ciders are traditionally produced through spontaneous fermentation from fruits and equipment-associated microbiota, a practice that imparts distinct organoleptic properties and […]
Codling moth is the key pest in Washington apples, a $2 billion industry. WSU research suggests that reducing insecticide rates by 90% in conventional farms can provide control equivalent to full rates by improving predator conservation that supplements chemical control. However, fears of promoting insecticide resistance has prevented industry adoption. In organic blocks, codling moth […]
The organic agriculture sector in Washington achieved an estimated $776 million in farm-gate sales in 2019. Regular, accurate statistical data on this sector are not available from the standard government sources, thus WSU has been compiling data continuously since 2004. Growers, processors, consultants, businesses and others in the organic sector need solid data upon which […]
Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) is a devastating pest of Washington soft fruits including cherries, blueberries, and red raspberries. Since its arrival in 2009, the cost and intensity of insecticide programs for these crops has dramatically increased. SWD adults generally develop and invade crops from unknown alternative host plants, complicating management. Despite great efforts to identify […]
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 […]
Climate change, extreme weather events, and soil degradation all mean that we are increasingly asking our soils to do more with less – infiltrate and store more water with less organic matter and weaker soil structure. A recent focus on soil health provides the opportunity to reverse this trend, but it will require a sound […]
Aphids are abundant, outbreaking insect herbivores that can deal considerable economic damage to cereals and legumes due to pathogens they transmit. While aphid-virus outbreaks can have catastrophic impacts on crops, we do not yet have reliable population models that predict the time and location for areas at high risk for aphid-virus outbreaks. Because these tools […]
As plant-mycorrhizal interactions are known to be context dependent, a better understanding of the conditions in which mycorrhizal fungi are beneficial to grapevine growth will help to inform vineyard management strategies aimed at incorporating biological inputs and improving agricultural sustainability. In a field experiment at WSU-Irrigated Agricultural Research and Extension Center (IAREC), I propose to […]