Tree Fruit Physiology

Highlighting the research taking place in Lee Kalcsits’ tree fruit physiology lab at WSU TFREC in Wenatchee, WA. Since joining the Department of Horticulture and the Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center at Washington State University in 2014, the focus of the lab has been understanding the complex physiological interactions between environment, genetics and horticultural management. Here, we take a whole system approach working at the agroecological, whole-plant, tissue, cellular and molecular level to address physiological questions that work to improve tree fruit productivity and tolerance to abiotic stress.

Lab News

Nadia talked with Dr Universe about why trees have sap.

Lee (along with co-authors Erica and Nadia) has a new paper out: Recent Achievements and New Research Opportunities for Optimizing Macronutrient Availability, Acquisition, and Distribution for Perennial Fruit Crops

Victor Blanco joined the lab as a postdoc in October. Welcome Victor!

Lee’s pear irrigation project with Tianna DuPont is featured in the August 28th edition of the Good Fruit Grower.

Michelle Reid, former MS student and now Kalcsits lab manager extraordinaire and Raquel Gomez, former MS student and now Carolina Torres’s most excellent lab manager, both had their first papers published on July 9th! Download them from our Publications page.

Here are some recent articles in the Good Fruit Grower highlighting our work:

• Stress for Success with Honeycrisp
• Soil Biology in Orchards
• Elemental Questions about Calcium and Potassium
• El estrés solar ha hecho que los cultivadores sean cautelosos con el sol (originally published in English as Sun Stress has Growers Wary)