Oct 15, 2018

National tour shares up-close look at Cosmic Crisp, WSU hops

Developing the next generation of hops and apples, including the much-anticipated Cosmic Crisp apple, researchers at Washington State University shared the latest advances this month with visitors from state agriculture departments nationwide.

In an Oct. 1 tour at WSU’s Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Prosser, Tree Fruit Extension Specialists Karen Lewis and Bernardita Sallato, and hops scientist Doug Walsh welcomed the Communication Officers of State Departments of Agriculture, or COSDA.

Visiting Richland, Wash., for their annual conference, visiting officers got a chance to taste the new WA 38 apple variety, which will be marketed as Cosmic Crisp®, fruit of a 20-year effort at WSU to breed a juicier, better-storing and higher quality apple for the Washington tree fruit industry. They picked fruit right off the tree at Prosser’s Roza Research Orchard.

Tour groups also visited WSU laboratories where Walsh, an Extension entomologist, researches how to make hops better for beer while fighting insect pests.

• Learn more about WSU Tree Fruit research and Extension here.

• Learn more about hop research at Washington State University here.

Photo at top: WSU Tree Fruit Extension Specialist Karen Lewis shares characteristics of the new WA 38 apple with visitors from a national agriculture departments tour, Oct. 1 at Roza Research Orchard in Prosser, Wash. The tour took in WSU advances in apples and hops.