WSU Tree Fruit

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Extension Educator for Tree Fruit Pest Management

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Join Our Team

The Extension Coordinator is responsible for providing oversight and leadership for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Extension and Outreach program, including originating and/or developing formal education programs related to IPM. This position will function as an integral member of the WSU Tree Fruit Extension Team and the Codling Moth Task Force and will work with a network of research and Extension faculty, tree fruit producers, allied industry and industry partners to deliver educational programs, consultations, and resources on IPM.

Application deadline: November 26, 2023

Learn more and Apply HERE

Organic Apple Pre and Post Harvest Management Survey

Please help us identify current practices utilized preharvest and postharvest to reduce rots and extend the shelf life of organic apples. This effort will help us identify needs and will be used as a baseline to assess impact of future research findings. Your responses will be collected anonymously.

Organic Apple Survey

Project Title: A Systems-Based Approach To Enhance Quality, Safety, And Shelf Life Of Organic Tree Fruit In The Pacific Northwest. Funded by USDA NIFA.

We appreciate your support

For more information contact

Dr. Achour Amiri, Principal Investigator at a.amiri@wsu.edu or Bernardita Sallato, Extension Specialist at b.sallato@wsu.edu

WA38 Pre-Harvest Field Day and Tour Scheduled

WSU has scheduled our annual WA 38 pre-harvest field day for Sept 15th

The first stop is at WSU Sunrise Orchard for project updates and the introduction of the CAHNRS Dean, Dr. Wendy Powers. The second stop will be at Monument Hill Orchard north of Quincy. The third and fourth stops will be south of Quincy. Research update topics include horticulture, fruit set, crop load, nutrition, and rootstocks.

Registration is requested. This will allow us to provide updates and reminders as details are finalized. Registration link

Contact:

Karen Lewis

Program Director, Agriculture and Natural Resources

kmlewis@wsu.edu

(509) 754-2011 ext 4307

Consumer Preferences for Pears

Consumer Preferences for Pears will be the topic of a session hosted by WSU and OSU on Tuesday, August 16th at 10:00 am. Carolyn Ross, Ann Colonna, and Karina Gallardo will discuss their extensive research conducted last winter with over 20 pear varieties. The aim of the work was to gain a greater understanding of which characteristics consumers in the Pacific Northwest prefer, what their willingness is to pay for these varieties and insights into consumer purchase behavior. Time is allotted for a question and answer session. Zoom details including the link are in the event notice on our website.

Please use this link to join the Zoom webinar.

Meeting ID: 898 1040 0942

Passcode: 526112

Contact:

Karen Lewis

Program Director, Agriculture and Natural Resources

kmlewis@wsu.edu

(509) 754-2011 ext 4307

AgWeatherNet ports Fruit Surface Temperature (FST) Model

Written by Sean Hill, Lav Khot and R. Troy Peters, WSU IAREC, Prosser, WA, June 2022

 

Registered users of AgWeatherNet (AWN) can now access the Fruit Surface Temperature (FST) model through the web portal at FST Model (Beta) | AgWeatherNet at Washington State University (wsu.edu).  Users can also find the tool in the left-hand menu by clicking the “Models” option and finding the “FST Model”. The AWN portal also allows user to setup an email or text-based alert by sign-in to account and customizing a new alert, see left figure, so they get real-time notification when estimated FST surpasses the user’s defined threshold temperature.

web page screen shot

The AgWeatherNet ported FST model was developed by Dr. Troy Peter’s team, and it has been collaboratively refined and validated for Honeycrisp cultivar through USDA-NIFA funding. The model employs a heat energy balance approach to predict apple FST. The model utilizes grower-subscribed, AWN station-specific weather data (e.g., air temperature, dew point temperature, solar radiation, and wind speed) and crop parameters (e.g., fruit diameter, emissivity, albedo, and shading condition) to estimate apple fruit surface temperature. This model also forecasts future apple fruit surface temperature, up to 7 days, for effective heat stress and sunburn management decision making.

The 7-day model forecast is based on weather parameters from the ‘National Digital Forecast Database’, and Clear Sky solar radiation calculations. The Clear Sky calculation provides a maximum FST estimate, while lower FST values could be expected in cloudy or overcast conditions.

This model has default input values for the Honeycrisp cultivar, while research continues for additional cultivars.  As the model is extremely sensitive to input values, users may need to tune the model based on their own data including fruit size, albedo, or emissivity estimates. The model output can be visualized in tabular or graphical format and pertinent data can be downloaded to share with your field team. Feedback about effectiveness, user interface, questions, or comments on the beta page can be sent by email to weather@wsu.edu.

Additional reading:

Li, L., Peters, R.T., Zhang, Q., Zhang, J., Huang, D., 2014. Modeling Apple Surface Temperature Dynamics Based on Weather Data. Sensors. 14, 20217-20234. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/s141120217

Ranjan, R., Khot, L. R., Peters, R. T., Salazar-Gutierrez, M.R., Shi, G., 2020. In-field crop physiology sensing aided real-time apple fruit surface temperature monitoring for sunburn prediction. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 175, 105558. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2020.105558

Protecting your fruit from frost and freeze resources

Given the cold weather that started April 10, 2022, that our region experienced, there were a lot of questions from the growers regarding the frost protection on apple and cherry trees. Below are a few resources with information on the use of wind machines for fruit frost protection in commercial tree fruit crops.

Factsheets

Frost Protection: Tips and Techniques https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/0/7265/files/2017/01/frost-protection-tips-techniques-1qelzi6.pdf

Wind machines for minimizing cold injury https://brocku.ca/ccovi/wp-content/uploads/sites/125/Research-Wind-machines-3.pdf

Peer-reviewed journal articles

Towards a physics-based understanding of fruit frost protection using wind machines https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168192319304848

Non-peer reviewed publications

Orchard Frost – Protection with Wind Machines https://extension.psu.edu/orchard-frost-protection-with-wind-machines

Wind machines for minimizing cold injury to horticultural crops https://www.ontario.ca/page/wind-machines-minimizing-cold-injury-horticultural-crops#section-6

Protecting your fruit from frost and freeze https://fruitgrowersnews.com/article/protecting-your-fruit-from-frost-and-freeze/

Frost protection strategies https://www.goodfruit.com/frost-protection-strategies/

Frost protection for fruit trees https://www.fruitandveggie.com/frost-protection-for-fruit-trees-20672/

Research Assistant (Temporary)

This position will support the USDA-ARS Hop Breeding Lab stationed at the Washington State University Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center (WSU-IAREC) in Prosser, WA. In this field and greenhouse-based position, the research assistant(s) will perform routine tasks in support of hop breeding research. The research assistant(s) will be required to work 20-40 hours a week (Monday-Friday, with occasional weekend work). Pay is $15-18/hour, depending on experience. Four positions are available from May 2nd—November. There is some flexibility with start and end dates but preference will be given to applicants with extended availability.

 

Responsibilities:

Requirements

If interested, please send a resume/CV, cover letter, and application (found here), to Anna.Tawril@usda.gov. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. Screening will begin February 14th, 2022 and the position will remain open until filled.

Next Generation Network – Soil Fertility

Do you want to know how to improve soil fertility and root health for sustained and consistent yields of high-quality fruit? Join us for the next generation tree fruit network event. A presentation of about 30 minutes will be given by Bernardita Sallato followed by a facilitated discussion, networking, and lunch. Bring your experiences to discuss. Lunch is provided sponsored by NCW Fieldmen’s Assoc.

TOPICS

We will discuss calcium intake, NPK balance, optimal application timings, differences in soil fertility needs between varieties, relationship between soil fertility and soil health, and its interaction with plant pathogens.

SPEAKER

Bernardita Sallato is a Tree Fruit Extension Specialist with experience in applied research, extension, and outreach for the PNW tree fruit industry. Her goal is improving orchard efficiency and fruit production through horticultural management practices and technology. Her main areas of interest are soils and plant nutrition, tree fruit stress management and general horticultural practices for tree fruit production. In this event, she will talk about calcium intake, NPK balance, optimal application timings, differences in soil fertility needs between varieties, relationship between soil fertility and soil health, and its interaction with plant pathogens.

REGISTRATION

click link below.
Registration is required.

SPONSOR

North Central Washington Fieldmen’s Association and WSU Extension are sponsoring the Next Generation Tree Fruit Network, supporting the Future Faces of Farming. The aim is to offer educational opportunities for Young and Next Generation Growers, Managers & Field staff.

Opportunity – Pesticide Education Specialist, Bilingual

Within the Pesticide Management Division, the Technical Services & Education Program (TSEP) exists to educate the agricultural community on pesticide safety, licensing, and usage requirements. The Bilingual Pesticide Education Specialist position collaborates with other Pesticide Education Specialists, including a supervisor, to conduct a variety of content-relevant pesticide safety training to individuals at all levels of agricultural operations. The team partners with the agricultural industry to deliver training in order to maximize program resources and reach as many individuals in need of training as possible. The actions of this position directly support the agency’s mission of protecting people and the environment and ensuring the economic vitality of the agricultural industry.

For more information about the Washington State Department of Agriculture, visit us at www.agr.wa.gov

Apply here.

Opportunity – Financial Research Administrator

An exciting new opportunity here at Washington State University! The Financial Research Administrator will provide all manner of financial grant support to the recently funded AgAID Institute and the Soil To Society Project, including both pre-and post-award grant administration. This position is responsible for coordinating all research and extension grants associated with these major research institutes, including managing an extensive list of subawards, managing all funds associated with these institutes, acting as grant advisor to all faculty associated with the projects, and helping them apply for new grant funding.

Learn more about the project here https://www.goodfruit.com/the-promise-of-ai-is-becoming-clearer/

Apply here