The new Plant Growth Facility is starting to take shape at the Washington State University Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center in Wenatchee.
Construction crews have begun erecting walls for the new building and have poured concrete slabs and foundations for the adjacent greenhouses.
The $18 million, 24,000-square-foot facility is scheduled for use beginning summer 2027 by scientists involved with breeding, pest and disease mitigation, environmental physiology and extension.
“We will be able to pair smaller-scale experiments where we have more control with larger-scale, on-farm experiments,” said Tobin Northfield, a WSU entomologist at the Wenatchee center. “The on-farm experiments allow us to see what happens in the real world, and the controlled experiments in the new Plant Growth Facility will allow us to better understand the mechanisms. Understanding the mechanisms may lead to innovative management solutions.”
The complex will replace 70-year-old greenhouses with two wings, totaling about 9,000 square feet, giving researchers more environmental control of light, temperature and carbon dioxide levels, according to WSU.
Other components feature a new 2,150-square-foot microbiology lab space and a conference area with an 80-person capacity.
Construction is funded by $10 million from the Washington State Legislature’s capital budget and donations totaling $1.7 million from the Northwest Nursery Improvement Institute, AgWest Farm Credit, Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission and other donors. The remaining funds will come from tree and sales royalties of WSU’s proprietary apple variety WA 38, marketed as Cosmic Crisp. •
Construction crews erect walls, left, in August this year for the laboratory and meeting room portions of the WSU Plant Growth Facility. In the center are concrete slabs for the new greenhouses. At right are the existing greenhouses and lab rooms. (Ross Courtney/Good Fruit Grower)
An architect’s illustration of the new WSU facility. (Courtesy Flad Architects)
An illustration of a greenhouse potting room at the WSU Plant Growth Facility. (Courtesy Flad Architects)
