“Debugging” Berries Berries are big in Washington state. Washington farmers grow the majority of the nation’s red raspberries, producing up to 70 million pounds yearly on more than 10,000 acres. The state’s growers also produce nearly 13 million pounds of strawberries and 14.5 million pounds of blueberries every year. Altogether, the state’s small fruit growers […]
When 1 + 1 Equals 100 Garden-variety pesticides add up to more than the sum of their parts when it comes to attacking the nervous systems of salmon, a newly published study finds. Scientists at WSU and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service analyzed combinations of various pesticides to learn how they would […]
Partnerships Provide Sustainable Pest Solutions Nematodes are the most numerous multi-cellular animals on earth. As N.A. Cobb, the father of modern nematology, wrote in 1915, “if all the matter in the universe except the nematodes were swept away, our world would still be dimly recognizable, and if, as disembodied spirits, we could then investigate it, […]
Banning Smuts Smuts are fungi that infect grasses, including cereal crops such as wheat and corn. Infected plants are often stunted, though the reduced size is not noticeable until maturity. If not detected before harvest, millions of fungal spores are released, contaminating healthy kernels or landing on the soil to infect the next year’s crop. […]
Public Invited to Extension Symposium Food safety and supply, health and wellness, energy security, resilient youth and families, and sustainable agriculture: these are some of the thorniest issues facing the planet. These issues are also the topics to be addressed at Washington State University Extension’s one-day, statewide symposium, “Relentless Pursuit of a Healthier World,” Wednesday, […]
More Rice, Please WSU Regents Professor Gerald Edwards of the School of Biological Sciences has received $335,000 over three years for ambitious research designed to re-engineer photosynthesis in rice. The goal of the international project is rice that will produce 50 percent more grain while using less water and less fertilizer. About half of the […]
Another Successful “A Celebration of Washington Wines” Event Benefits WSU For the eighth consecutive year, the annual gala “A Celebration of Washington Wines” dinner and auction held Saturday has both celebrated Washington’s wine industry and raised funds for the WSU Viticulture and Enology Program. The final numbers aren’t in yet, but the event is once […]
WSU Viticulture and Enology Certificate Program Launches Self-directed Study Option If you do not need a certificate for employment reasons, do not have the time or financial resources for the certificate program, or are anxious to start learning about winemaking and can’t wait until a seat in Washington State University’s professional certificate program opens up, […]
Undergrad Co-authors Paper in Nature WSU’s commitment to undergraduate education and research paid off recently for former undergrad Kayla Ann Simons. She was one of seven coauthors of an article in Nature, the international journal of science, for her contribution to a WSU research project on disease resistance in plants. To be named as an […]
Calcium Helps Plants Make Their Own Aspirin Calcium builds strong bones, good teeth—and healthy plants, according to a new study from WSU forthcoming in Nature. Experiments show that calcium, when bound to a protein called calmodulin, prompts plants to make salicylic acid (SA) when threatened by infection or other danger. SA is a close chemical […]