You’ve heard about the Human Genome Project, but what about the Apple Genome Project? Mapping the apple genome is a project of scientists here at Washington State University working with collaborators around the world. They’re helping orchardists come up with new varieties that require fewer inputs (such as pesticides and fertilizers) and produce more nutritious fruit. KPLU science and health reporter Keith Seinfeld recently met with Amit Dhingra, one of the leaders of the project. Listen to the KPLU News 88.5 broadcast here.

Amit Dhingra is an unlikely champion of the state’s $2 billion apple industry.

The scientist from New Delhi, with his white lab coat, doesn’t fit the mold of a fruit-tree farmer. But in less than two years at Washington State University, Dhingra’s quest to build a better apple has captured the industry’s imagination. Read the article by Clay Holtzman on the Puget Sound Business Journal website.