The Tree Fruit Extension Team is happy to introduce two new Extension Educators, Dr. Lexie McDaniel (Horticulture) and Dr. Dattatray Bhalekar (Horticulture Technology).
Lexie McDaniel is joining the WSU Tree Fruit Extension team as a Horticulture Extension Educator. Lexie will work with researchers and industry to deliver educational programs that focus on improving horticultural production practices and quality of apples, pears, and cherries. Most recently, she was a Viticulture Extension Specialist at North Carolina State University where she worked with NC grape growers to provide extension education materials for best viticulture practices and conducted grower driven field-applied research. She earned her PhD in Horticulture at WSU IAREC, where her research focused on alternative technologies, such as UV-C, for pest and disease management of wine grapes.
Lexie McDaniel, PhD.
WSU Tree Fruit Research & Extension Center (1100 N Western Ave, Wenatchee, WA 98801).
Email: alexa.mcdaniel@wsu.edu, phone: (509)293-8813 (office) or (509)303-8512 (cell).
Dattatray Bhalekar has recently joined the WSU Tree Fruit Extension team as a Horticulture Technology Extension Educator. In this role, he will collaborate closely with WSU researchers, as well as the WA tree fruit and AgTech industries, to support the education and on-farm implementation of emerging technologies to improve production practices. Datta earned his PhD in Biological Systems Engineering from WSU, where his research focused on optimizing precision and automated chemical application technologies for WA apple and grape production. His experience also includes applied research and extension through public–private partnership-driven projects, particularly the validation of precision crop load monitoring and heat stress/irrigation management technologies in WA apple orchards.
Dattatray Bhalekar, PhD.
WSU Irrigated Agriculture Research & Extension Center
(24106 N Bunn Rd, Prosser, WA 99350).
Email: dattatray.bhalekar@wsu.edu, Phone: (509) 778-8646 (cell).
Lexie and Datta look forward to bringing their experience into this new role as Tree Fruit Extension Educators. They are currently looking for tree fruit industry members in Washington to learn what the top horticulture and technology priorities are to improve tree fruit production. Please reach out to schedule a visit or to share your thoughts.
These positions are funded by the WSU Tree Fruit Endowment.
