Temperate evergreen forests of the Pacific Northwest support big huckleberries (Vaccinium membranaceum) despite their nutrient impoverished soils. Acquisition of nitrogen and phosphorous are the major nutrients limiting V. membranaceum. The plant’s access to these resources is linked to their mycorrhizal symbiosis. To learn more about the symbionts of eriaceous plants...
Urban landscape water use is increasingly a focus of water conservation efforts. This is especially true in the arid and semi-arid regions of the western United States where increased demand, environmental concerns, and extended periods of drought have created chronic water shortages. However, until recently, little attention has been paid...
The human health effects of exposure to numerous single environmental contaminants have been well characterized. Yet, biomonitoring studies have detected multiple environmental chemicals in humans, highlighting the need to investigate the health effects of exposure to multiple environmental chemicals. Environmental data is highly complex, therefore current methods of defining environmental...
An enabling technology for long duration, deep space missions is the availability of a high power, long-lived power supply. The goal of this work is the design of a self-regulating deep space nuclear reactor. The design objectives are to produce 250 kWth for a 25-year period using the presence of...
Blackberry (Rubus sp.) fruit are a good source of phenolic compounds and anthocyanins, and are consumed in fresh and processed forms. Though organic products become more popular, limited information is available about how different organic production methods affect the post-harvest quality of blackberry fruit. The objective of this project was...
School garden programs have become increasingly popular for their diverse, positive benefits. School gardens are often promoted as a relatively low cost means to offer hands-on learning opportunities that may foster academic achievement, particularly in the sciences, however only six studies have been published on the impact of garden education...
Calls for increased farmer involvement in research and extension programs
have been numerous and well supported. One approach to integrate the collective
knowledge and experience of agricultural scientists and farmers is through whole
farm case studies (WFCS). An interdisciplinary team of 34 research and extension
personnel at Oregon and Washington...
Pyrenophora tritici-repentis, causal agent of tan spot of wheat, produces multiple
host-selective toxins (HSTs), including Ptr ToxA, encoded for by ToxA, Ptr ToxB,
encoded for by ToxB, and Ptr ToxC. Variable distribution of these three HSTs among
different isolates of P. tritici-repentis, both singularly and in all possible combinations,
defines...
The seasonal biology of the obliquebanded leafroller, Choristoneura rosaceana (Harris), was studied to improve its management in Mid-Columbia area sweet cherry orchards. Overwintering OBLR larvae began to emerge from hibernacula at bud stage 2 (side green). Most overwintering larvae emerged from hibernacula within three weeks of first bud swell and...