News for the Horticulture Department

In the News

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. 


Researchers stand on test plots of various turfgrass cultivars. From left are Clint Mattox, Cole Stover, Wrennie Wang, Alec Kowalewski, Chas Schmid, and Emily Braithwaite. Photo by Sierra Dawn, McClain/Capital Pres.

These and other developments have cast a sudden spotlight on turfgrass management, an important and often-overlooked field of study, and the innovators behind it — people like Alec Kowalewski, Oregon State University turfgrass specialist.


Ramesh Sagili checks a vial containing bees. Photo courtesy of Oregon State University Extensnion Serivce.

Oregon State University researchers have been awarded a $500,000 USDA grant to study more than 100 plants to find which provide honey bees with the highest nutritional value.


Ed Peachey, an Oregon State University horticulture professor, examines garlic grown for seed in a Willamette Valley field. Peachey helps farmers secure new herbicides for high-value niche crops.  Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press

Using a combination of science and diplomacy, researcher Ed Peachey convinces chemical companies to make weed-killing products available for such high-value, niche crops.


Midsummer is a good time to fertilize your vegetable garden.OSU Extension Service

Chip Bubl, associate professor and horticulturist at Oregon State University Extension Service, has been giving vegetable gardening advice for many years and offers up some tips about mid-summer feeding for plants.


Photo of Midnight Roma tomatoes

I started thinking of purple vegetables as I was transplanting the purple colored seedlings of Midnight Roma, the new purple roma tomato from Oregon State University tomato breeder, Dr. J Meyers. Midnight Roma was released in 2021.


OSU Extension Viticulture Assistant Professor, Dr. Alec Levin found the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Agrimet, where many growers get their water recommendations, suggested irrigation 44% higher than necessary.


OSU released a new purple tomato called Midnight Roma.Jim Myers/OSU Extension

The new Oregon State University-developed tomato Midnight Roma follows in the steps of 10-year-old Indigo Rose, the first antioxidant-rich purple tomato available on the market.


OSU Jim Myers examines the new purple tomato, Midnight Roma

The new Oregon State University-developed tomato Midnight Roma follows in the steps of 10-year-old Indigo Rose, the first antioxidant-rich purple tomato available on the market.


The U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded study is published in the journal Scientific Reports and is the result of a research collaboration between entomologists at Oregon State University and North Carolina State University.


An electric weed control unit, attached to a tractor, in use during the first practice phase of research. Photo courtesy of Marcelo Moretti/OSU., An area treated with electric weed control one week after application. Photo courtesy of Marcelo Moretti/OSU.

An Oregon State University researcher, in partnership with area hazelnut and blueberry growers, is testing a novel means of killing weeds — he’s zapping them with high-voltage electricity.


As we think about spring and summer gardening, it's easy to get swept away by tempting seed catalogs. Read carefully before you buy so you know the choice will work for you.Marcia Westcott Peck, special to The Oregonian/OregonLive

Nichole Sanchez, Oregon State University Extension Service horticulturist, tells gardeners to plan before choosing seed. It’s so easy to go overboard. Of course, if you do there’s always someone happy to take them off your hands.


OSU Extension's experimental apple cider orchard occupies three acres at the North Willamette Research and Extension Center in Aurora. Photo by: Nik Wiman

An experimental cider orchard planted in the rich farmland of the Willamette Valley could help lead Oregon’s fledgling hard cider industry into a profitable future.


Melathopoulos marks a plant while studying bees in an outdoor habitat. Photo by: Andony Melathopoulos

Melathopoulos leads Oregon State University Extension's statewide pollinator health program and is an assistant professor. Agricultural experts say he's one of the nation's most remarkable innovators in the world of bees.


Oregon researchers are exploring alternatives to chlorpyrifos, but they say they do not have sufficient funding to do the work. Photo: Associated Press File.

Silvia Rondon, Oregon State University Extension entomology specialist, recently received a $162,794 USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant to explore chlorpyrifos alternatives.


Some fall leaves provide color to a green carpet of of moss growing in the lawn.The Oregonian/Oregonlive.com

Nine experts from Oregon State University Extension Service stepped up to bust some common gardening myths. Read on to get some research-based answers to 10 common misconceptions.


Emeritus Professor Dr. Mel Westwood

With a sad and heavy heart, we announce the passing of Dr. Melvin (Mel) N. Westwood on 31 October 2020.


Oregon's native vine maple shines in fall. Photo by Neil Bell/OSU Extension Service.

“If you’re specifically interested in fall color, it will soon be the time to start looking,” said Neil Bell, a horticulturist with Oregon State University’s Extension Service. “There are already some trees starting to display color.”


Garlic bulbs, plentiful at Oregon farmers markets, should be stored in a dark, dry and well-ventilated place.Lynn Ketchum/OSU Extension Service, By Kym Pokorny | For The Oregonian/OregonLive

Garlic roots develop in the fall and winter, and by early spring they can support the rapid leaf growth that is necessary to form large bulbs, said Chip Bubl, a horticulturist with Oregon State University’s Extension Service.