Horticulture Research Facilities
Graduate study at Washington State University in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture offers many exciting opportunities. The Pullman campus of Washington State University and the off-campus research and extension centers are located in the heart of the Pacific Northwest. The commercial horticulture industries in the state of Washington are exceedingly diverse, with production of ornamental products, fresh and processed fruit and vegetables and vegetable seed production, as well as services such as landscape maintenance. Opportunities for research in all of these areas are available in the department.
The main campus of Washington State University is located in Pullman in the beautiful Palouse area of Eastern Washington. The University of Idaho is located just miles away. In addition to the Pullman campus, Washington State University operates branch campuses in Tri-Cities, Spokane and Vancouver, and six Research Centers located in agricultural production areas around the state. There are opportunities for graduate students to conduct research at any of these locations. The Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture has full-time faculty at each of these locations. Cooperation among WSU/Pullman, branch campuses, research and extension centers, USDA-ARS and industry groups results in many wide-ranging joint projects.
Facilities
Excellent facilities are available for graduate study at the main campus in Pullman, as well as at branch campuses and research centers throughout the state. Laboratories include facilities for anatomical, physiological, biochemical, and genetic studies. These are complemented by greenhouses, growth chambers, controlled temperature and atmosphere facilities, enzyme preparation rooms and tissue culture facilities. World-class storage facilities at the Pullman campus aid in post harvest research of various commodities such as apples, pears, cherries, potatoes and red raspberries.
The extensive land resources across the state provide varied climates and soil types for horticultural research. Orchards and land are available for field research at the Tukey Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Farm in Pullman. Additional research sites are available at the Central Ferry Station, the Othello Research Unit, and the Royal Slope Research Unit. Many commercial growers cooperate by accommodating on-site projects. Research may also be conducted at the facilities listed below. All requests for research locations will be coordinated through the student's graduate advisor and the appropriate administrative unit at the proposed location.
Off-Campus Research and Residence
All students are required to spend two semesters in residence at the main campus. The remainder of a student's degree time may be spent at other locations. As part of their program of study, some graduate students conduct research at locations other than the main campus. By taking advantage of resources throughout the state, we are able to provide a wide variety of opportunities for students. Some students make use of growers' fields for their data collection, others use research facilities at more than one location, while others live at a remote location, completing their work under the guidance of a faculty member at that site. Students are responsible for obtaining their own housing, whether in Pullman or elsewhere. Some of the Research and Extension centers have living accommodations located on site, but these are very limited in number. Students may be advised by faculty at any location. If the student's graduate adviser is located away from the main campus, the student will also be assigned a faculty contact in Pullman.
WSU - Prosser Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center
WSU-Prosser, the Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center (IAREC), is the focal point for WSU and USDA-ARS research and extension programs that deal with irrigated agriculture, including WSU's primary research programs in grapes, sweet cherries and other stone fruits, and vegetables. An estimated two-thirds of the total $5-6 billion value of Washington's agricultural production comes from irrigated land. Prosser, located in the Yakima Valley and about 30 minutes from the Columbia River to the north, east, and south, is centrally located relative to most of the irrigated acreage in Washington and Oregon. Our region's desert climate is a unique environment for many of the approximately 30 crop species studied at IAREC. This is often the only place in the world where these crops are grown under these conditions. Crop physiology and interaction of crops with other organisms is unlike other areas and is affected by irrigation management. Most of these crops are utilized as fresh product or processed in unusual ways.
The IAREC faculty includes 23 WSU research and extension scientists, 8 USDA-ARS scientists, a WSU extension plant diagnostician and a WSDA plant pathologist who certifies vegetatively propagated planting stocks. Seven academic departments from WSU-CAHE have faculty members or important programs at the IAREC. Interdisciplinary research develops easily in this environment as does interagency work among people representing USDA Agricultural Research Service, WSU Agricultural Research Center, WSU Cooperative Extension, and Washington State's Department of Agriculture. This spirit of cooperation, a valued characteristic of the IAREC, extends to work with colleagues at Pullman, other research centers, and in national and international programs where scientists from Prosser play leading roles.
WSU - Wenatchee Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center
Comprehensive research projects are conducted by Washington State University and federal collaborating scientists in all phases of pome fruit, including high density orchard management, plant disease and insect pest control, mineral nutrition, plant growth regulators, fruit maturity, storage and post harvest handling of fruit. These programs include complex basic science aspects of plant physiology, entomology, plant pathology, soil science, horticulture and biochemistry.
Research personnel of the USDA Agricultural Research Service have collaborative appointments at WSU, and their research programs are conducted in cooperation with WSU-Wenatchee. These programs are also coordinated with the statewide WSU research projects and with regional or national programs of collaborating federal agencies.
In addition there is a close cooperative relationship between research and extension, with four extension specialists housed at the research center. Several extension agents and other specialists throughout Washington participate actively in many research activities. They also serve as the vital link between research and the fruit industry in providing the industry with new knowledge developed through research.
WSU - Puyallup Research and Extension Center
The Research and Extension Center at Puyallup was established in
1894 as an agricultural research site for WSU in Western Washington.
There are more than 30 faculty members with research and/or extension
appointments located at Puyallup. Many varied disciplines in plant,
animal, and social sciences are represented.
In Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, efforts are concentrated
in two areas: small fruit genetics and breeding, and landscape and
nursery crops. Research projects include cultivar development of
strawberries and raspberries, fruit development and storage, cold
hardiness, and genetic analyses using both quantitative and molecular
methods. Research in landscape and nursery crops includes cold hardiness
of western Washington horticultural crops and cultural factors influencing
water quality, production efficiency and landscape establishment
of nursery crops.
Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Unit, Mount Vernon
This unit was established in 1947 through grower and community efforts. Comprehensive research projects are conducted by scientists on vegetables, vegetable seeds, fruit, plant diseases and weed control. Additional research specialties include soil fumigation, plant tissue culture, and sustainable agriculture. Researchers and county extension agents cooperate with projects and provide the industries and public with new knowledge developed through research.
WSU-Mount Vernon NWREC is located in the Skagit Valley of northwestern Washington. This region is well known for its scenic beauty, the Cascade Mountain Range, and Puget Sound. The Mount Vernon Center’s mission is to serve the agricultural, horticultural, and natural resource science interests of the state through research and extension activities that are enhanced by the unique conditions of northwestern Washington: a mild marine climate, diverse small and mid-sized farming enterprises and close rural-urban interface.