The Northwest Nursery Improvement Institute has pledged $600,000 to Washington State University’s plant growth facility to ensure the state’s tree fruit industry remains competitive and sustainable for generations to come.

The commitment is the largest donation pledge so far for the $18.2 million complex, said James Smith, senior director of development for WSU’s College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences.

The university needs $4.2 million in philanthropic donations to complete the project and has gathered $1 million in pledges so far, Smith added, in an email.

The Washington Legislature will provide about $10 million in state funding, and $4 million will come from royalties — Cosmic Crisp apples and other WSU-developed products will help create a building designed to boost harvests and food quality for the state’s $10 billion tree fruit industry.

Groundbreaking scheduled soon

Groundbreaking for the facility is scheduled for July 1. “It is expected to be completed by July 1, 2027,” Smith wrote.

The plant growth facility is designed to replace a 70-year-old structure at WSU’s Wenatchee Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center.

The new facility will provide state-of-the-art resources for yearround research, and feature controlled environments that will enable scientists to study plant growth, pest resistance and environmental stress factors in unprecedented ways.

Creating a high-tech greenhouse

The pledge from the Northwest Nursery Improvement Institute will fund the development of a high-tech greenhouse at the plant growth facility.

The space will allow researchers to accelerate cultivar development, improve pest management strategies and optimize production methods for apple, pear and other tree fruit varieties.

Bill Howell, manager of the Northwest Nursery Improvement Institute, said in a news release that WSU scientists in Wenatchee, Wash., have made and continue to make significant contributions to the tree fruit industry.

“They must have modern facilities for their studies,” Howell said.

Kate Evans, professor and director of WSU’s pome fruit breeding and genetics program, said success in plant breeding is still largely a numbers game. The greater the number of seedlings, the higher the probability of selecting something superior, she said, in the news release.

“Having a greenhouse in this PGF will hugely benefit the pome fruit breeding program and ultimately the pome fruit growers of the Pacific Northwest,” Evans said.

Lee Kalcsits, research team lead, associate professor and endowed chair of tree fruit environmental physiology and management, said the changes in tree fruit production will benefit consumers, as well.