Washington State University has a very active breeding program for apples and sweet cherries as well as performing selection trials on rootstocks for apple, pear, and sweet cherries. The primary location for the apple breeding program is at the Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center (TFREC) in Wenatchee, WA. The sweet cherry program is based at the Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center (IAREC) in Prosser, WA. Both programs are joined by genetic research programs based at the main Pullman campus. The rootstock studies are performed at various locations including: TFREC; IAREC; the Maritime Research and Extension Center in Mt. Vernon, WA; and various industry sites around the state.
Scientists at WSU are also applying genomic research findings and techniques to improve on the traditional breeding methods. WSU researchers are involved in two large multi-institutional genomics projects: the RosBREED Project and the tree fruit Genome Database Resources Project. Visit our Genetics & Genomics page for highlights about those projects.
Please visit the pages in this section of our website for more on WSU’s breeding programs, rootstock information, fruit variety descriptions, and an overview of the genomics projects.
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