New grant will help researchers protect apples, pears from extreme climate events

WENATCHEE — Washington State University scientists will lead nationwide research addressing the impact of extreme temperatures on apple and pear crops. 

Lee Kalcsits, associate professor and Endowed Chair of Environmental Physiology for Tree Fruit, heads a team of 21 scientists from seven institutions working to mitigate stresses on pome fruits and develop strategies that limit future risks. 

“This is a great team that will share existing knowledge and develop new ideas to support apple and pear growers dealing with extreme temperatures,” Kalcsits said. 

Funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative, the $6.75 million project will run for four years. 

Among research goals, the team will focus on extreme cold and heat, studying a variety of issues including cold hardiness patterns for new apple and pear cultivars; flowering and the emergence from dormancy during spring; and how to mitigate sunburn and enhance red color during extreme heat. 

“In Washington state we typically deal less with cold stress, but in 2023 and 2024 we had higher losses than normal due to cold,” said Kalcsits, an associate professor of horticulture based at WSU’s Wenatchee Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center (TFREC). “In the eastern U.S., the risk of cold damage is higher, so we can use some knowledge from scientists located there. They aren’t as used to extreme heat on the East Coast, so we can share some of our strategies more easily with them, thanks to this project.” 

Economists on the team, including a climate change economist, will collaborate with other specialists to examine the current risk of extreme climate issues, study historic impacts of extreme temperatures, and create models that will allow growers to more reliably assess risk. 

Team members will also look at the cost and benefit of different mitigation strategies to see if they’re worth the cost of implementation. 

Finally, the team aims to develop a coordinated, nationwide Extension strategy for mitigating fruit losses. Researchers plan to host a series of field days and fruit schools online and in person to provide growers with training that helps reduce losses due to temperature extremes. 

“When you look at the statistics, extreme temperatures are the leading cause of reductions in yield and packout,” Kalcsits said. “Even with our current strategies, losses occur. We need to develop a better understanding of the biological factors leading to those losses, and growers also need more effective options.” 

The project’s overarching objective is to make more apples and pears available for consumers. 

“It’s about developing new strategies for issues the industry already experiences,” Kalcsits said. “It’s not just climate change but understanding exposure to extreme temperatures and how that will change in the future. It will be great to have additional tools available now and to understand risks 20 or 50 years down the road.” 

Other WSU scientists on the project include WSU Pome Fruit Breeder Kate Evans; Biological Systems Engineering Assistant Professor Kirti Rajagopalan; School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science faculty members Ananth Kalyanaraman and Paola Pesantez-Cabrera; and Sonia Hall, researcher at WSU’s Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources. 

Other institutions involved in this project include Cornell University; the University of Maine; Michigan State University; Penn State University; Oregon State University; and the USDA Agricultural Research Service.