Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/705612
6 AUGUST 2016 Good Fruit Grower www.goodfruit.com New cherry breeding manager oversees orchard horticulture B ernardita Sallato, the new manager for Washington State University's cherry breeding program, wants what everyone else in the industry wants. "We want the perfect cherry," she said. WSU has hired Sallato to oversee horticultural practices and information involved with its cherry breeding program. In her role, Sallato will maintain consistent horticultural standards for the trees the program already has at WSU-Prosser's Roza orchard and will evaluate the fruit with the help of Northwest growers and researchers on the Breeding Program Advisory Committee (BPAC). Sallato, born and raised in Santiago, Chile, calls this cherry season a transition year for the program. In 2017, the university will begin searching for a new breeder to replace Nnadozie Oraguzie, who has switched to full- time genetics research. The new breeder will resume making new crosses. The cherry industry pays for the breeding program to search for new varieties that are easy to grow and extend the season. The breeding program had its first major release of the popular Rainier blush variety in 1952. Currently, the program has several selections in phase two and phase three trials at sites around Washington and Oregon, while one cross — the dark red R25 — is showing promise. Sallato's job is a new position. Advisers thought it best to hire a manager with a "green thumb" to keep the trees they already have in healthy, consistent condition. "We thought it was more important to have a good manager in place before we made any new crosses," said Ines Hanrahan, a project manager for the Washington State Tree Fruit Research Commission, which is temporarily helping to steer the breeding program. Sallato, 36, has a master's degree in fruit produc- tion and plant physiology from Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, well-known for its agricultural pro- grams. She spent two years as a laborer in several agri- cultural venues in New Zealand and then eight years at her alma mater as manager of a service laboratory. One of the differences she has noticed is that growers in the United States directly fund breeding programs compared with the university-funded work in Chile. "The good part of the industry being involved is they give you input," she said. Sallato moved to Prosser in September 2015 before starting at WSU-Prosser. Her goal in the short term is to write and follow a methodology for pruning, fertilizing, irrigating and training the test trees. In the long-term, she would like a set of written goals for each market class. "There's not just one way to grow a cherry," she said. — Ross Courtney Ross CouRtney/Good FRuit GRoweR Bernardita Sallato, manager of the Washington State University cherry breeding program, inspects a tree as she leads a tour through the Roza test block at the Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Prosser, Washington.