Department of Crop and Soil Sciences

USDA Genebank Tour – June 12
2025-06-12 13:30 - 15:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | WSU/ARS Pullman Plant Intro Station, 4900 Terre View Dr., Pullman, WA, United States
Please RSVP to Marilyn the day you would like to attend. marilyn.warburton@usda.gov
You’re invited to tour the USDA genebank in Pullman, WA, a national treasure where we grow, conserve, and share seeds with breeders and researchers across the US and around the world.
This genebank contains our national collections of chickpea, lentil, peas, beans, other legumes, lettuce, garlic, rhubarb, medicinal and ornamental plants, safflower, grasses, alfalfa, clover, other forages, their wild relatives, and useful native plants. The genetic diversity conserved in these seeds is what has been used and will continue to be used to create crop varieties adapted to emerging markets and changing growing conditions.
We curate and distribute over 100,000 lines and populations, and we would be delighted to show you our regeneration fields, drying and cleaning facilities and equipment, with optional tours of our seed storage and distribution and greenhouse facilities. Unit staff and scientists will give brief explanations of the facilities and the plants in the fields, as well as an indication of our impacts on U.S. and global agriculture and food security.
All demonstrations are live, some are hands on and interactive, and we have seeds, plants, and information to give away! Come see behind the seeds of the genebank and take away ideas on how you could participate as well! Photos are very welcome.
When: June 12th, 2025, 1:30-3:30 pm
Where: WSU/ARS Pullman Plant Intro Station, Terre View Dr.
What to bring/wear: Camera, hat, sturdy closed-toed shoes, water bottle, cool clothing (but preferably long pants and long sleeves or use sunscreen).
Who: All recipients of this email and all their friends, but please RSVP an approximate number in your group. If you are a member of the media, please let us know in advance who you are and that you are coming.
Official Names and Acronyms: We are the USDA ARS Plant Germplasm Introduction and Testing Research Unit (PGITRU) working at the Western Regional Plant Introduction Station (WRPIS) located at Washington State University (WSU) in Pullman, WA. #PullmanPlantIntro #SeedGuardians

Lind Field Day
2025-06-12 08:00 - 14:30 | Lind Dryland Research Station, 781 E. Experiment Station Rd Rd, Lind, WA, 99341, United States

WSU Weed Tour
2025-06-11 13:00 - 17:00 | Palouse Conservation Field Station, Pullman, WA, United States

Ph.D. Proposal Defense - Nayab Gull
2025-06-11 09:00 - 10:00 | NWREC Art B 115, 16650 State Route 536, Mt. Vernon, WA, 98273, United States
“Impacts of Soil-Biodegradable Plastic Mulches on Soil Health and Horticultural Outcomes in Diverse Climate Conditions“9:00 a.m., NWREC Mt. Vernon, WA, ArtB 115 and via Zoom

Harrington Crop Tour
2025-06-09 10:00 - 12:00 | 47°23’42.1″N 118°24’00.6″W

Ritzville Crop Tour
2025-06-05 09:00 - 11:00 | 47°09’42.1″N 118°25’35.8″W

Horse Heaven Crop Tour
2025-06-03 08:00 - 10:00 | Horse Heaven Community Hall, 37301 County Well Rd, Prosser, WA, United States

USDA Genebank Tour - May 29
2025-05-29 15:30 - 17:30 | WSU/ARS Pullman Plant Intro Station, 4900 Terre View Dr., Pullman, WA, United States
Please RSVP to Marilyn the day you would like to attend. marilyn.warburton@usda.gov
You’re invited to tour the USDA genebank in Pullman, WA, a national treasure where we grow, conserve, and share seeds with breeders and researchers across the US and around the world.
This genebank contains our national collections of chickpea, lentil, peas, beans, other legumes, lettuce, garlic, rhubarb, medicinal and ornamental plants, safflower, grasses, alfalfa, clover, other forages, their wild relatives, and useful native plants. The genetic diversity conserved in these seeds is what has been used and will continue to be used to create crop varieties adapted to emerging markets and changing growing conditions.
We curate and distribute over 100,000 lines and populations, and we would be delighted to show you our regeneration fields, drying and cleaning facilities and equipment, with optional tours of our seed storage and distribution and greenhouse facilities. Unit staff and scientists will give brief explanations of the facilities and the plants in the fields, as well as an indication of our impacts on U.S. and global agriculture and food security.
All demonstrations are live, some are hands on and interactive, and we have seeds, plants, and information to give away! Come see behind the seeds of the genebank and take away ideas on how you could participate as well! Photos are very welcome.
When: May 29th, 3:30 to 5:30pm
Where: WSU/ARS Pullman Plant Intro Station, Terre View Dr.
What to bring/wear: Camera, hat, sturdy closed-toed shoes, water bottle, cool clothing (but preferably long pants and long sleeves or use sunscreen).
Who: All recipients of this email and all their friends, but please RSVP an approximate number in your group. If you are a member of the media, please let us know in advance who you are and that you are coming.
Official Names and Acronyms: We are the USDA ARS Plant Germplasm Introduction and Testing Research Unit (PGITRU) working at the Western Regional Plant Introduction Station (WRPIS) located at Washington State University (WSU) in Pullman, WA. #PullmanPlantIntro #SeedGuardians

Western Wheat Workers Meeting Field Tour
2025-05-29 08:00 - 17:00 | 46°41’45.5″N 117°08’50.0″W

Final Examination - Hatem Younes
2025-05-09 11:00 - 12:00 | Clark Hall 331
“Water and Soil Quality Management for Root Health and Management of Verticillium Wilt in Potato”Clark Hall 331 and via Zoom

Final Examination - Aichatou Djibo Waziri
2025-05-08 09:00 - 10:00 | ITB 3050
“Genomic-Assisted Breeding for Biofortified Spring Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)“

Final Examination - Michael Mullins
2025-05-07 10:00 - 11:00 | via Zoom
“Using Local Spectral Libraries to Create Prediction Models for Soil Physical Property Assessment in Washington State”

Seminar - Michael Neff
2025-04-21 14:00 - 15:00 | FSHN 354

Seminar - Markus Flury
2025-04-14 14:00 - 15:00 | FSHN 354
“The Role of Air-Water Interfaces in Colloid Transport in Porous Media”

Seminar - Camille Steber
2025-04-07 14:00 - 15:00 | FSHN 354

PhD Proposal Seminar - Annah Young
2025-04-02 13:00 - 14:00 | WA
“Cropping system diversification and management strategies to improve soil health in Western Washington”1:00 p.m., NWREC Mt. Vernon, WA, Small Sakuma Auditorium and via Zoom

Seminar - Yingxue Yu
2025-03-31 14:00 - 15:00 | FSHN 354

Seminar - Haiying Tao
2025-03-24 14:00 - 15:00 | FSHN 354
“Mapping Spatial Variability of Yield, Grain Protein Concentration, and Nitrogen Uptake in Wheat Fields”

Proposal Defense - Gagandeep Kaur
2025-03-19 10:00 - 10:30 | Clark 393, Pullman, WA, United States
“Short Term Outcomes of Sustainable Management Practices on Soil Health and Nutritional Composition of Crops in Dryland Cropping Systems“10:00-10:30 a.m., Clark Hall 393 and via Zoom

Proposal Defense Seminar - Xueyu Zhou
2025-02-25 15:00 - 17:00 | WA
“Fate and Transport of Biodegradable Plastics in the Terrestrial Environment”3:00-5:00 p.m., Chicona Room, Puyallup and via Zoom

Seminar - Renan Uhdre
2025-02-10 14:00 - 15:00 | FSHN 354
“Connecting Genes and Nutrition: Association Studies and Chromosomal Synteny in Legumes”

Seminar - Xianran Li
2025-02-03 14:00 - 15:00 | FSHN 354
“Phenotypic plasticity mediated adaptation: a tale from integrating citizen science and open science”
Xianran Li is a Research Biologist specializing in Computational Bioinformatics at the USDA-ARS Wheat Health, Genetics, and Quality Research Unit located in Pullman, WA. He also holds an Adjunct Faculty position at the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences in Washington State University.
He obtained his B.S. in Beijing Institute of Technology in 2000, and Ph.D. degree in China Agricultural University in 2008. After finished postdoc training at Kansas State University between 2009 to 2012, he moved to Iowa State University as a postdoc researcher, Research Assistant Professor, then Adjunct Associate Professor.
Xianran Li’s research focuses on comprehending how interactions between genes and environment impact on crop domestication, adaptation, and performance. His lab integrates publicly available genetic, genomic, enviromic databases to address intriguing biological questions.

Proposal Defense - Peter Schmuker
2025-01-28 09:00 - 10:00 | ITB 3050
“Improving Spring Wheat Breeding Efficiency through Genomic, Phenomic, and Multi-Environment Modeling Strategies”

Seminar - Nonoy Bandillo
2025-01-27 14:00 - 15:00 | FSHN 354
‘A Multi-Omic Approach for Genetic Mapping and Prediction of Antagonistic Traits’
Nonoy Bandillo is an assistant professor and project director of the Small Grains Breeding Program at North Carolina State University. He earned his Ph.D. in plant breeding and genetics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and completed postdoctoral training in quantitative genetics at Cornell University. Prior to joining NCSU, he was an assistant professor and pulse crop breeder at North Dakota State University. His current research focuses on identifying and characterizing genes in small grains, particularly wheat, with an emphasis on improving human health and climate resiliency. Central to his lab’s work are advanced methodologies, including multi-omics research, targeted meiotic recombination, and computational modeling.

Seminar - Parteek Kumar
2025-01-13 14:00 - 15:00 | FSHN 354
“From Data to harvest: How generative AI is shaping precision agriculture”

Preliminary Exam - Olufunke Ayegbidun
2024-12-05 10:00 - 11:00 | Clark Hall 331

Final Examination - Simon Nelson
2024-12-04 09:00 - 10:00 | Clark 393, Pullman, WA, United States
“Improving Emergence in Winter Canola in the Pacific Northwest”9:00 a.m., Clark 393 and via Zoom

Seminar - Sarah Dohle
2024-12-02 14:00 - 15:00 | FSHN T101
Seminars will be held at FSHN T101 and via Zoom.
“Wild beans and citizen science, enhancing genetic resources”

Final Examination - Claire Yost
2024-11-19 13:00 - 14:00 | via Zoom
“Regulated Deficit Irrigation Conserves Water but has Limited Impacts on Cider Apple Fruit and Juice Quality”

Final Examination - Diana Salguero
2024-11-15 14:30 - 15:30 | Clark Hall 331
“Soil Compaction Impact on Soil Functions in Dryland Production Systems of the Pacific Northwest”
