To grow apples, we need bees. Apple growers depend on the humble honey bee to pollinate their crops, but there’s a delicate balance between hives, flowers and fruit. Bees fertilize apples by flying from flower to flower, feeding and distributing pollen. If bees don’t pollinate enough flowers, growers are left with a miniscule crop, but […]
By Maegan Murray, WSU Tri-Cities RICHLAND, Wash. – Groundbreaking nanotechnology designed to protect cherries, apples and other popular fruits from frost damage is showing positive results in tests by Washington State University researchers. The research team recently received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to develop […]
Named for the crooked, blackened branches it leaves behind, fire blight can wreck entire Northwest apple orchards in a single season. Growers depend on antibiotics to keep the fire blight bacteria, Erwinia amylovora, in check, but the pathogen has already developed resistance in many growing areas. It’s only a matter of time before antibiotics won’t […]
White, fuzzy, and about the size of a pencil tip, the woolly apple aphid is a persistent pest in Northwest apple orchards, harming trees and shrinking apple harvests. Robert Orpet, doctoral student at Washington State University’s Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center, knows that farmers have a hard time getting rid of this tiny pest. […]
WSU Tree Fruit Research and Extension hosted a workshop focused on organic production methods for apples, cherries and other fruits.
Tianna DuPont loves going to orchards and talking with growers, helping them solve problems and increasing their production. Working for Extension is the perfect fit.
Washington State University researchers were awarded a $1 million federal grant to develop an intelligent bin management system supported by a robotic self-propelled fruit bin carrier in tree fruit orchards.
Mechanical harvesting of cider apples can provide labor and cost savings without affecting fruit, juice, or cider quality.
PULLMAN, Wash.— The newest Washington State University apple, designated WA 38, is one step closer to hitting supermarkets with announcement of its brand name, Cosmic Crisp. The name was chosen after an extensive process led by Carolyn Ross, associate professor in the WSU School of Food Science. “It was quite a process,” she said. “I […]
PROSSER, Wash.− Fall is in the air and it’s harvest time for Washington apple growers. With another bumper crop expected this season many Washington tree fruit growers dream of a day when automated technology helps bring in the harvest. Manoj Karkee, assistant professor with the Center for Precision and Automated Agricultural Systems at WSU, believes […]