News for the Horticulture Department

In the News

Upclose of butterfly

Entomologist Jeffrey Miller, retired from Oregon State University, has been painstakingly adding data points to the existing maps of Oregon butterflies.


Different tomatoes cut and spread out in an array on a wooden cutting board

A plant expert at Oregon State University developed a new type of tomato with blueberry-like health benefits. The purple tomato contains anthocyanins, a healthy antioxidant pigment found in blueberries.


A bee on flowers

Given their importance, it’s confounding to Andony Melathopoulos, a professor of horticulture at Oregon State University, that the status of Oregon’s roughly 800 species of wild bees is relatively unknown. 


A bee on a common snowberry

During an online seminar on Wednesday, Andony Melathopoulos, assistant professor and pollinator health extension specialist at Oregon State University, taught farmers how to make their land more hospitable to bees.


Spring crocus push through leaves, signs of spring, March 2, 2023, in Portland.

Erica Chernoh, Horticulture Faculty with OSU Extension in Lane County, agreed the season is a couple of weeks late, but said that can change quickly if the weather heats up.


Field of buzz cover crop seeds

Andony Melathopoulos is an associate professor in pollinator health at OSU. He told KLCC so far 10 wineries, including Eugene's King Estate, have swarmed at the chance to participate. 


Earthquake

But in Corvallis, the Turkish Student Association at Oregon State University feels for their friends and family. This is the case for Mustafa Bozkus, a graduate student at OSU studying horticulture.


Oregon lawmakers are considering House Bill 2610, which would direct $1 million to Oregon State University for the study of pest control alternatives, which is partly motivated by the loss of such insecticides as chlorpyrifos.

Oregon State University would receive $1 million to study pest control alternatives under a bill that’s partly meant to replace certain insecticides in specialty crops.


People taste-test different blueberry varieties and "selections"

Last week, Oregon State University hosted a blueberry cutting event during which people taste-tested 112 different blueberry selections and varieties.


Marek Stanton holding pollinator license plate

As of Wednesday, the Oregon State University Horticulture Department had reached its goal of 3,000 vouchers for the “Pollinator Paradise” plates.


Ag Life Daily News Report Logo

At the 7:13 mark of this episode, OSU researcher Brent Warneke talks about what’s available today in the agriculture industry for sensor-controlled spray systems as well as autonomous systems.


Radicchio salad in a bowl

Lane Selman thinks winter vegetables are under-appreciated and she wants to change that! The Oregon State University professor and creator of the Culinary Breeding Network joined us to share her tasty tips.


brown marmorated stink bug

Nik Wiman, an associate professor in the Oregon State University College of Agricultural Sciences, stated that the first BMSB to be detected in Oregon was found in Portland in 2004. Wiman says OSU has been researching the bugs for a decade.


Abigail Dollins - Statesman Journal

Dr. Patty Skinkis, viticulture extension specialist at Oregon State University, said people panicked over the frost. Skinkis’ job is to “help guide people in these uncertain times,” she said.


"The cast of our commercial project is made up of real students and faculty who make an impact on the world, and it's always inspiring to spend time with them," Baker said

Professor Gail Langellotto is shown working with OSU Extension Master Gardener volunteers and graduate students to bring urban Portland community gardens to life.


Federal dollars are being used to spur the next generation of Oregon farmers.

Oregon State University received $749,997 for its OSU Extension Small Farms Program, which is developing programs to help launch new farmers and ranchers.


A new Oregon State University Extension Service website provides a trove of science-based solutions for garden pests, weeds and disease problems in one easy-to-navigate place. 


The Oregon lava hole bee (Atoposmia oregona) had not been seen in Oregon since 1969.

A bee recently rediscovered in Oregon by an Oregon Bee Atlas (OBA) volunteer lives only on volcanoes, where it reproduces on tiny balls of pollen it stuffs into tiny bubbles in volcanic rock found in lava fields.


Elva Webster draws honey from a hive during a Spanish-language Master Beekeeping class.

Carolyn Breece, faculty research assistant and coordinator of the Spanish-language version of Master Beekeepers, said it’s the first program of its kind in the United States.


Scott Lukas harvesting blueberries

From a stint at a nursery to working in molecular biology to researching crops in Hermiston, Scott Lukas forged a circuitous route to his new position as Oregon State University Extension Service berry specialist.


Photo of Hazelnut acreage

Recent breakthroughs by Oregon State University researchers against a devastating tree disease has helped the state’s hazelnut industry more than double its acreage in the last decade.


Bowl of blackberries

Bernadine Strik was Oregon State University's berry specialist for over 35 years. She says a lot of this comes down to climate. The Willamette Valley has mild winters and usually temperate summers.


 Clover and ryegrass are the dominent plants in a pollinator lawn. Photo by Carolyn Breece.

To support pollinators, people have turned to creating eco-friendly spaces around their homes, including replacing their grass lawns with flowering plants.


Photo of Vaughn Walton

Oregon State University’s Vaughn Walton has joined the ranks as one of the world’s most highly cited researchers from 2019-2021 by Clarivate, a global company that provides analytics and insights in the sciences.


Later this month, agricultural scientists at Oregon State University will release a parasitic wasps into the public to fight off an invasive species of fruit fly called spotted wing drosophila.


Dr. Edward Peachey, retired, Oregon State University

The IR-4 Project is pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 SOAR Award.


Eastern filbert blight has historically been a curse to the Pacific Northwest hazelnut industry. That is, until Oregon State University released several blight-resistant varieties.


Hands holding water flowing into the dirt.

According to Jim Meyers, horticulture professor at Oregon State University, tomatoes, squash and melons establish deep root systems quickly and draw moisture from deeper soil long after the soil surface has become dry in midsummer.


pizza dough

This episode explores the concept of emergence through the lens of a Margherita pizza.


Giant Asian Hornet. (Ap Photo/Elaine Thompson, Pool,File)

Oregon State University Pollinator Health Extension Specialist Andony Melathopoulos prefers to call the stinging insects by their less sensationalized name: giant Asian hornets.


There are many types of radicchio. Local Roots Farm.

Pacific Northwest radicchio farmers want to boost domestic markets for the crop and foster the exchange of information with Italian farmers, seed companies and breeders.


Oregon State University Dry Farming Project student research assistants Kelly Andrus, Asher Whitney and Meaghan Herlihy host a dry-farmed tomato tasting at the Corvallis Farmers Market.

Dry farming was more prevalent before farmers turned to irrigation, said Amy Garrett, president of the Dry Farming Institute and Oregon State University Extension small farms programs instructor.