Tree Fruit Research and Extension
WSU Tree Fruit Research and Extension develops and applies research-based information for sustainable tree fruit production in Washington and the world.
Recent News
Green Atlas Cartographer for Precision Crop Load Monitoring
Written by Dattatray Bhalekar, Juan Munguia de la Cruz, Bernardita Sallato, Lav Khot, Washington State University, March 2026 Over the past two seasons (2024 and…
The Impact of Soil Amendments on a Replanted Apple Orchard
This study aims to evaluate how different soil amendments influence soil health indicators, soil biology, and early tree growth in a replated commercial apple orchard.…
A Web-Based Decision-Support Tool for Sweet Cherry Floral Dormancy, Relative Water Content, and Cold Hardiness
The LTER–Sweet Cherry Model v1 is a web-based decision-support tool that uses daily temperature and solar radiation inputs to generate seasonal predictions of floral dormancy…
2026 WA Tree Fruit Research Commission Grant Awards for Technology
In December of 2025, the WA Tree Fruit Research Commission approved $564,371 for six (6) new technology research projects for the upcoming year.
Starting the Season off for Pear IPM Success
For growers intending to use selective IPM programs (limiting broad spectrum sprays) for pears this season here are a few considerations for success.
WSU Tree Fruit Heat School
Join us March 11th from 8:30 AM-2:30 PM for the WSU Tree Fruit Heat School. This free event will focus on understanding and managing heat-related…
Upcoming Events
11
Mar
Mar
Okanogan Pest Management Discussion Group
Tonasket Community Cultural Center
Get Connected
Featured Videos
Monitoreo y muestreo para la enfermedad de la cereza pequeña
Virtual Orchard Meetups: Heat Session Grower Panel with Garrett Henry, WA & Steve Frecon, PA
Managing the Uncontrollable: Resilience to extreme events. Heat session Grower Panel.
Virtual Orchard Meetups: Heat Session with Randolph M Beaudry, Michigan State University
Managing the Uncontrollable: Resilience to extreme events. Heat Session with Randolph M Beaudry, Michigan State University.
Virtual Orchard Meetups: Heat Session with Lee Kalcsits, Washington State University
Managing the uncontrollable: resilience to extreme events
Fire Blight of Apple and Pear
This animation illustrates the biology of fire blight infections in apple and pear. Video produced by Tianna DuPont, Washington State University. Animation by Dani Abram. Funded by USDA SCRI grant #2020-51181-32158. Thank you to reviewers…
Recent Publications
Evaluation of biopesticides for the control of Erwinia amylovora in Apple and Pear
In a recent study, we evaluated non-antibiotic materials for fire blight control in 8 Washington, 3 Oregon, 3 New York and 2 Pennsylvania field experiments conducted between 2013 to 2022.
Investigations of Multiple Approaches to Reduce Green Spot Incidence in ‘WA 38’ Apple
A pre-harvest apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) disorder named “green spot” (GS) was recently identified on ‘WA 38’ apples. Previous work indicated a tentative association between GS and fruit mineral imbalance, and an influence of…
Soil Health Indicators for Central Washington Orchards
To help growers in Central Washington orchards, Washington State University scientists demonstrated that all soil health indicators should include measurements of water availability and root health in addition to standard fertility indicators to meet stakeholder…
Field scale application of Brassica seed meal and anaerobic soil disinfestation for the control of apple replant disease.
Study published June 2021 in Applied Soil Ecology shows potential of anaerobic soil disinfestation and biorenovation with mustard meals for mitigation of replant disease.
Towards rapid detection and mapping of powdery mildew in apple orchards
Chandel, Khot, Sallato Dec 2020. Powdery mildew (PM) in apples is a critical fungal disease that adversely affects yield and fruit quality. Conventional PM identification techniques are laborious. This study evaluated the suitability of non-destructive…
