Kevin Murphy
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, […]
Our proposed work directly addresses the Sustaining Health Grand Challenge through the initiation of the first collaborative study between CAHNRS and ESFCOM, utilizing our Soil to Society research pipeline: including plant breeding and varietal development for nutritional characteristics and evaluating effectiveness in improving human health and well-being. Novel barley varieties high in the soluble fiber […]
This research project was initiated to provide regional agronomic and end-use data for specialty barley producers and end-users in western Washington, and to evaluate for the impact of barley variety on distillate and beer flavor compounds. The long-term aim of the project is to cultivate high-value markets for grain based on distinctive end-use qualities such […]
The popularity of quinoa in the past decade has quadrupled prices at U.S. retail outlets. For all this demand, the vast majority of the quinoa consumed in the U.S. is imported from Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador, with 65% of the quinoa sold in the U.S. being organic. This project hopes to increase organic quinoa production […]
Barley has well-documented nutritional advantages over other small grains as a source of human food. Researchers from WSU have been breeding and selecting hulless food barley types, a novel and promising market class for Washington growers. For this current project, our research and extension goals are to: 1) identify and release high yielding, disease resistant, […]