^{Small Fruit Breeding & Genetics} _{Small Fruit Breeding and Genetics Team}

Our Team

Principal Investigator

Wendy Hoashi-Erhardt

Wendy Hoashi-Erhardt directs the Small Fruit Plant Breeding program and cultivar development for red raspberry in the Pacific Northwest, with emphasis on processing traits of machine harvestability, fruit quality, and disease resistance. She also researches other traits of interest in strawberry and raspberry genotypes. Wendy has a MS in crop science from Cornell University and a BS in chemistry from Wheaton College (IL). In the last 10 years, she has collaborated in the release of four cultivars of raspberry and strawberry. Other areas of interest include:

Breeding and evaluating day-neutral strawberries for fresh market use
Evaluating strawberries for processing and fresh market uses
Evaluating raspberries compatible with machine harvesting and processing
Studies on Raspberry Bushy Dwarf Virus, phytophthora root rot, and verticillium on raspberries

Technical Staff

Brad Pugh

bradley.pugh@wsu.edu

Scientific Assistant

Brad Pugh manages the small fruit research farm at WSU Puyallup, combining research field practices with management for soil health. Brad comes to the program with a BS in Landscape Architecture from Washington State University and 25 years as a Registered Landscape Architect practicing with a focus on sustainable design, LID facilities, habitat restoration, educational, sports and corporate facility design and construction.

Rachel Fox

rldaniel@wsu.eduwsu.edu

Technical Assistant 2

Nisar Omarkhel

nisarahmad.omarkhel@wsu.edu

Agricultural Research Technologist 2

Noah Eller

noah.eller@wsu.edu

Grounds & Nursery Services Specialist 1

Interns

Internship opportunity available. Visit the CAHNRS Internships page for more information on this and other internships.

Emeritus Faculty

Patrick Moore

Research Professor (Emeritus), Department of Horticulture
Curriculum vitae

Patrick Moore retired in 2020 after 34 years as professor (emeritus) with the WSU Department of Horticulture. His plant breeding focus was on developing new cultivars of strawberry and raspberry for production in the Pacific Northwest. Additionally, Pat conducted research on germplasm evaluation for traits of interest to breeders, researchers, producers, and end-users. Pat has a PhD in Forestry from Michigan State University, a MS in Forestry from the University of Minnesota, and a BS in Forestry from Oregon State University. In the last 25 years, Pat released or collaborated in the release of 11 cultivars of raspberry and 10 cultivars strawberry. He won the 2015 Wilder Medal from the American Society of Horticultural Science for his lifetime contributions to plant breeding.

Former Students and Scholars

Saki Toshima

Visiting Student (2022-23, Japan)