How Will New Greenhouse Benefit Tree Fruit Industry?

Last week, the Washington State Department of Agriculture dedicated a new, nearly 5,000 square foot greenhouse on the WSU Prosser campus.  The facility, as well as the land leased from WSU, is paid for by the tree fruit and nursery industry, thanks to a 1% assessment that's paid on the sale of all fruit trees in Washington.  WSDA’s Cindy Cooper says this new greenhouse gives researchers a better range to test for viruses.

“This greenhouse gives us a way to index trees for viral symptoms and then we can test with m ore advanced PCR and Elisa techniques.  Growers don’t want trees that have viruses because it reduces their yields, it reduces the life of the tree, and just overall quality.”

Gary Snyder, owner of C& O Nursery in Wenatchee says the greenhouse will allow growers to plant virus free stock with confidence.

“The economic impact in using clean plant material is invaluable to the nursery industry, for  propagation, and the orchardist for full fruiting potential from these cultivars.”

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