PROSSER, Wash. – Washington State University researchers are part of a team of west coast university collaborators that received a $7.6 million grant to study the impact of smoke exposure on grapes, a project that will provide critical knowledge to grape growers and winery owners in Washington severely impacted by widespread wildfire smoke in recent years.

Washington State University researchers will work with scientists at Oregon State University and the University of California, Davis, on the four-year project, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture Specialty Crop Research Initiative.

“This project really ties together our ongoing state-based research programs into a strong, coordinated effort up and down the west coast,” said Tom Collins, assistant professor at Washington State University, and on the project.

Washington is the second-largest wine producing state in the U.S., with over 1,000 wineries that produce over 17 million cases of wine each year, contributing to $8.4 billion in annual in-state economic impact, according to the .

Grape exposure to wildfire smoke can compromise the quality and value of wine grapes, and adversely affect the final wine. Wildfire season has been especially devastating for the west coast, where California, Oregon, and Washington are three of the .

In the wake of the challenging 2020 vintage, the grape and wine industry on the west coast want to better understand how smoke density and composition impact grapes, grape vines, wine composition and sensory perception of the wine in a glass. The research team is calling this a “smoke to glass” understanding.

Goals for the grant build on  Collins has been doing this summer with , such as installing low-cost sensors and sensor networks in commercial vineyards throughout central Washington, and experimenting with barrier sprays for fruit to reduce or eliminate smoke uptake into grapes.

The team of west coast researchers will work to assess the impact of smoke exposure on the health of grapes and grapevines, and how to optimize rapid small-batch fermentation to better predict what wine impacted by wildfire smoke will taste like.

Collins said in the early years, there were only three or four researchers in the U.S. working on smoke exposure. “Now we have a really substantial team to work through these challenges. This grant really brings the resources that are going to make significant headway,” he said.

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – Washington State University Tri-Cities has partnered with the City of Pasco and the WSU Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center to offer two new in-person pop-up study spaces, as well as one on-campus space, that will provide WSU students with a quiet place to study and access free Wi-Fi.

“Last spring, many students communicated a need for a quiet place with access to Wi-Fi where they could do their school work, attend classes and complete exams,” said Chris Meiers, vice chancellor for student affairs and deputy Title IX officer. “We wanted to provide students with a space that could still meet all state requirements for social distancing, especially as the days get shorter into the winter. We are grateful to have partners in and out of the WSU system that stepped up to support student learning.”

The following spaces are now available for students to access in-person:

Pasco – Police Community Services Building – 215 W. Sylvester St
Mondays Noon – 5 p.m., Wednesdays 4 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Reservation encouraged

Prosser – Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center (IAREC) – 24106 North Bunn Road
2^nd Floor of West Building (follow signs)
Mondays Noon – 5 p.m., Wednesdays 4 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Reservation encouraged

Richland – ���سԹ� Consolidated Information Center (CIC) – 2770 University Drive
Mondays – Fridays 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.
No reservations necessary. Check-in at Floyd Building main entrance.

The spaces will accommodate up to five students that feature study stations that are socially distanced, per the state requirements. The space will also be sanitized between each student use and is supervised by a WSU employee.

As a convenience at the Prosser and Pasco locations, students can make a reservation to use the space. Reservations are not required for the CIC space on campus.

The City of Pasco was quick to partner to offer ���سԹ� students an in-person space right in their own backyard.

N. Zach Ratkai, administrative and community services director for the City of Pasco, said the partnership represented a seamless opportunity to help provide students with a base in their own community to complete their studies.

“The City of Pasco is proud to partner with the ���سԹ� pop-up study spaces initiative,” he said. “During this very challenging time, Pasco is committed to continuing to serve the educational needs of students and provide greater access to the community and its services.”

Due to its location in the Yakima Valley as a hub for a range of agriculture, including vineyards, the WSU IAREC was thought to be strategic for students who are completing studies in agriculture, and even more specifically, the WSU viticulture and enology (wine science) program, said Naidu Rayapati, director of the IAREC.

“Students with limited resources are finding it challenging to have quality internet connectivity at home or travel daily to ���سԹ� to have better internet access,” Rayapati. “Offering a dedicated space at the IAREC meets this critical need. It can offer students a balanced approach to attend classes remotely and maintain regular interactions with academic advisors for successfully completing their course work, all while staying close to their family.”

Rayapati said due to their proximity to each other, partnerships between the WSU IAREC and ���سԹ� is a logical first step to offer superior educational opportunities.

“In addition, the IAREC faculty could offer experiential opportunities to train ‘shovel ready’ undergraduate students for increased employment opportunities in agriculture-related fields,” he said.

For more information on the ���سԹ� pop-up study spaces and for students to reserve a space at the Pasco or Prosser locations, visit .

 

Media contacts:

Chris Meiers, ���سԹ� vice chancellor for student affairs, 509-372-7381, chris.meiers@wsu.edu

Naidu Rayapati, WSU Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center director, 509-786-9215, naidu.rayapati@wsu.edu

Maegan Murray, ���سԹ� assistant director of marketing and communication, 619-403-3617, maegan_murray@wsu.edu

PROSSER, Wash. – Naidu Rayapati, world-renowned plant pathologist, has been named director of the Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Prosser and assistant dean for the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences at ���سԹ�.

Rayapati studies virus diseases in a variety of crops, with emphasis on wine grapes. He’s worked in vineyards and farmers’ fields to help fight off, or prevent, pathogens that could have massive impacts on crops in Washington and around the world.

“I’m very excited about taking on these dual roles, including the new assistant dean position for the ���سԹ� campus,” Rayapati said. “We need to harness scientific and technological innovations, optimize strategic advantages, and maximize opportunities at the Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center (IAREC) and ���سԹ� campuses.”

The new assistant dean position will strengthen cross-campus collaborations and university-stakeholder partnerships, enhancing the visibility and impacts of extension and academic programs from CAHNRS across Washington state and globally, Rayapati said.

Rayapati also aims to build partnerships with other institutions for advancing the overall land-grant mission of WSU and to actively contribute to WSU’s ‘Drive to 25’ initiative.

Both the IAREC and the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates WSU Wine Science Center at Tri-Cities are large components of the WSU Viticulture & Enology Program. While serving in his new roles, Rayapati will continue to conduct research in his grape virology program, with support from CAHNRS and his team of research associates, graduate students, and technical staff taking on a larger role in successfully running his program.

Rayapati takes over as director of the IAREC from Gary Grove, who will remain director of WSU’s AgWeatherNet.

“We are very appreciative of Gary Grove’s positive and impactful leadership and management of the IAREC Center along with his successful engagement with our stakeholders and industry,” said Ron Mittelhammer, dean of CAHNRS.

“Rayapati’s research work in grape virology is incredibly important and valuable to the Washington wine industry, which is why CAHNRS is committed to continuing to provide substantial support for it,” Mittelhammer said. “Now, all of the CAHNRS scientists at the IAREC and the Tri-Cities campus will benefit from his leadership skills.”

Rayapati started his new position effective May 15.

 

Contact:

• Naidu Rayapati, Director of the Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center and CAHNRS assistant dean for Tri-Cities, 509-786-9215

They’re piloting drones over Washington vineyards, turning wood waste into jet fuel, and deploying thermal cameras to breed crops that resist drought. Their ideas launch businesses, transform agriculture and help feed a growing planet.

That’s why U.S. News and World Report recognized the WSU Biological Systems Engineering (BSE) program, ranking it 14th in the nation for graduate student programs in biological and agricultural engineering.

“This ranking reflects the outstanding quality of our faculty and graduate students,” said Juming Tang, department chair and regent’s professor in BSE. “They’re using technology to solve local and global problems in agriculture, food, fuel and the environment.”

Students develop new technology for crop sensors and precision irrigation; advanced robotics to grow, manage and harvest fresh produce; safer food processing technologies; bio-jet fuels; and many other innovations, all supported by state commodity groups, the Washington state and U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Departments of Defense and Energy, and the National Science Foundation, among others.

“While our students are doing cutting-edge research, they’re also building success skills like management and teamwork,” said Shyam Sablani, associate professor and graduate program leader for BSE, who advises dozens of students in the WSU Food Engineering Club. “Taking part in professional societies, industrial internships and student clubs, our graduates gain skills that power their careers.”

 

“My degree is helping me become a better teacher, advance in my field, and help Northwest apple growers, our environment, and the economy,” said Rajeev Sinha, a doctoral student in ag automation and former university educator from Bihar, India.

At WSU Prosser, Sinha works with apple growers to test new high-efficiency spraying technology, keeping orchard employees and the environment safe from harmful pesticides. Outside of the lab and classroom, he is an officer in several student clubs and a top player on the WSU Prosser cricket team. Every activity enriches his student experience.

“Students are our partners and our champions,” Tang said. “I’m proud of the work that BSE students and faculty have done to earn us a top national program. We’ll continue to transform agricultural and food systems for the benefit of the environment and consumer.”

Washington State University Tri-Cities is home to the Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory and to world-class faculty that complete research both at ���سԹ� and the Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center (WSU Prosser IAREC).

• Contact: Juming Tang, Department Chair, Regents Professor, Biological Systems Engineering, (509) 335-2140, jtang@wsu.edu