Farmers in Oregon are trying to develop new disease-resistant hop varieties with a novel "pot-in-pot" system that allows for easier replacement and segregation of plants.
"This is the first time hops have been done this way, so we're still learning," said Fred Geschwill, grower who has the "pot-i ...
Tuesday, June 18, 2013 9:12 AM
Crooked Calf Syndrome (CCS) is a malformation of calves resulting from cows grazing certain species of lupine during early pregnancy.
Typical skeletal deformities in these crooked calves include twisted or bowed limbs, spinal column deviations and cleft palate. These deformities can either reduce ...
Tuesday, June 18, 2013 10:43 AM
FRESNO -- A Florida congressman who serves on the House of Representatives Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee announced he has secured funding in a spending bill for additional citrus disease research.
The $19.5 billion agriculture appropriations bill was approved by the full committee on a v ...
Tuesday, June 18, 2013 1:12 PM
SALINAS, Calif. -- Two University of California scientists here have received about $450,000 in state grants for research to improve crop yields and reduce pesticide-associated risks.
With $302,542 from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Shimat ...
Tuesday, June 18, 2013 1:02 PM
The agenda is packed for the University of Idaho's annual UI Snake River Pest Management Research Tour in Kimberly on June 25 and in Aberdeen June 26.
This year's tour will include studies and discussions related to insects, disease and weeds in sugar beets, cereal grains, potatoes, dry beans a ...
Tuesday, June 18, 2013 8:42 AM
PUYALLUP, Wash. -- Strawberries of many sizes, shapes, colors -- and levels of sweetness -- are the focus of research at a farm east of Puyallup.
Patrick Moore, a small fruit breeder and geneticist for Washington State University Extension, said he's working with 50 experimental cultivars this ye ...
Monday, June 17, 2013 10:21 AM
PUYALLUP, Wash. -- While walking through the strawberry research plots east of Puyallup, Sue Welch came upon an oddly shaped specimen.
As plant services specialist for the Washington State Department of Agriculture, she had seen many fruits and vegetables, but this one was new to her.
A bite rev ...
Monday, June 17, 2013 10:21 AM
Though organic orchardists have a more limited toolbox than conventional growers, they still have effective tactics available, researchers say.
The orchard floor performs several functions -- including water intake and storage, physical support, gas exchange for roots and nutrient cycling -- an ...
Friday, June 14, 2013 10:25 AM
LIND, Wash. -- The Pacific Northwest grain industry plans to apply pressure on the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to provide answers to the many questions surrounding the discovery of genetically modified wheat in a single Oregon field.
Tom Zwainz, chair of the Washington Grain C ...
Thursday, June 13, 2013 4:54 PM
PULLMAN, Wash. -- Washington State University scientists have sequenced four new Rosaceae crop family genomes and are releasing that information to help breeders aim for better fruit.
The four are the Comice pear, a French strain of Golden Delicious apple, the Stella self-pollinating sweet cherry ...
Thursday, June 13, 2013 9:03 AM
PENDLETON, Ore. -- Northwest researchers are advising farmers who plant their canola earlier to take care in when they apply nitrogen fertilizer.
Oregon State University Extension soil scientist Don Wysocki and University of Idaho professor, plant breeder and geneticist Jack Brown offered their t ...
Thursday, June 13, 2013 9:13 AM
LIND, Wash. -- Researchers say growers may want to weigh the benefits of applying biosolids -- treated Seattle sewage -- as fertilizer on their fields.
Washington State University soil scientist Craig Cogger, based in Puyallup, has researched the use of biosolids for 20 years, including on drylan ...
Thursday, June 13, 2013 5:04 PM
PENDLETON, Ore. -- Officials at Oregon State University are asking growers about their research priorities as they prepare to fill two positions at the Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center.
Dan Arp, dean of the OSU College of Agricultural Sciences, said he expects to open the search for ...
Wednesday, June 12, 2013 9:01 AM
PENDLETON, Ore. -- An Oregon State University wheat expert hopes to help farmers make the best choices as they select which varieties to plant next.
Mike Flowers, extensions cereals specialist, and Bob Zemetra, wheat breeder, teamed up during the Pendleton Field Day June 11 at OSU's Columbia Basi ...
Tuesday, June 11, 2013 9:01 PM
Washington State University officials have sent a letter to farmers with several recommendations on the possibility of finding genetically modified wheat.
If farmers observe wheat plants surviving a glyphosate treatment they should make a second spot application to the plants, said Jim Moyer, asso ...
Tuesday, June 11, 2013 10:41 AM
Researchers will recommend herbicide strategies to help farmers fight the season's biggest weed problems at upcoming field events.
Washington State University's Weed Science Field Tour begins at 1 p.m. June 19 at the Plant Pathogen farm building adjacent to WSU's Cook Agronomy Farm on Whelan-Al ...
Tuesday, June 11, 2013 5:40 PM
SALEM -- The budget for Oregon State University's statewide public services keeps improving.
The Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education on June 10 added $500,000 to the budget, a move that, if approved, will allow the statewides to continue operating at their existing service level.
Now, th ...
Monday, June 10, 2013 11:09 AM
Researchers at Washington State University have developed a new technique to preserve bee semen in hopes of building a bank of germplasm and develop hardier bee populations.
The university plans to develop a frozen semen bank from U.S. and European honeybee colonies.
WSU research associate ...
Monday, June 10, 2013 10:21 AM
Despite a few setbacks, David Horton and his team with the USDA Yakima Agricultural Research Laboratory believe they're a year or two away from identifying pheromones to lure potato psyllids to sticky traps used for insect monitoring in spud fields.
The research entomologist concedes the pheromon ...
Friday, June 07, 2013 9:15 AM
FILER, Idaho -- Monsanto will create a new Wheat Technology Center in the Twin Falls area dedicated to supporting the development of best-in-class wheat varieties to help farmers increase their productivity.
"Monsanto's continued commitment to wheat is front and center in southcentral Idaho," s ...
Thursday, June 06, 2013 10:41 AM
It's hard to figure out how biotech wheat recently discovered in northeast Oregon might have escaped detection for so long before now, Oregon State University's wheat breeder says.
"What makes this such a big challenge is the time delay between when the last time material was in the field and whe ...
Tuesday, June 04, 2013 11:09 AM
Northwest researchers say they haven't seen much stripe rust in commercial wheat fields, but that could change after the recent cooler weather.
"It hasn't reached a severe level yet, but we still have a long way to go," said Xianming Chen, plant geneticist for USDA Agricultural Research Service o ...
Tuesday, June 04, 2013 9:58 AM
University of California scientists say a new citrus variety called Valentine, which was unveiled in 2008 as a three-way hybrid involving pummelo, is gaining interest among niche growers in Southern California.
The new variety combines the large size and low acidity of pummelo with a complex, f ...
Monday, June 03, 2013 11:06 AM
Upcoming field days at Oregon State University's Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center will cover hot topics like new wheat varieties and early-planted canola.
The research center will offer its annual field day beginning at 8:30 a.m. June 11 at 48037 Tubbs Ranch Road in Pendleton, Ore.
...
Monday, June 03, 2013 2:47 PM
U.S. wheat breeders are anxiously awaiting results from the USDA's investigation into the appearance of unauthorized genetically engineered wheat in a northeast Oregon field.
Jim Peterson, research director for Limagrain Cereal Seeds in Fort Collins, Colo., said there is no cause for alarm for en ...
Friday, May 31, 2013 11:25 AM
PROSSER, Wash. -- Legumes grown between orchard rows as natural nitrogen sources for tree fruit are being studied by the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Washington State University.
It could be a more efficient use of land that grows grass now and could save growers -- particularly o ...
Friday, May 31, 2013 1:05 PM