PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University is among the first in the country to acquire a DNA sequencing machine that will let researchers across the university assemble and characterize genomes with dramatically improved speed and accuracy. The technology promises to improve researchers’ understanding of the genetic blueprints of plants and animals and open new avenues for fighting diseases and improving the productivity of crops. See the video by Matt Haugen and read more at WSU News.

Dr. Amit Dhingra is featured in the American Society of Plant Biologists Membership Corner.

future of plant biology. Read more at ASPB News.

Scientists at Washington State University have filed a patent application for a product that could be applied ­preharvest to pears to extend their storability as an alternative to a postharvest MCP (1-methylcyclopropene) application.

Dr. Amit Dhingra, a molecular biologist based in Pullman, said pears that have been treated with the new product are firm when they come out of controlled-atmosphere storage, but are able to ripen properly afterwards. Since it’s a natural compound, it should be suitable for use in organic production. The substance, which is not related to MCP, was discovered by scientists in his lab. Read more at Good Fruit Grower.

Rock Doc column March 2, 2011.

I often eat without thinking, either while listening to the news or writing. It’s a poor habit for several reasons, one of which is my ever-growing waistline.

But the next time you bite into an apple, I implore you to take just a moment to really savor its taste, aroma, and texture. Those characteristics vary a lot between a Granny Smith and a Golden Delicious, or a McIntosh and a Braeburn. The variation is one reason apples are a delight.

Apples come from an ancestor tree that had small and acidic fruit. We don’t know exactly how it was that people coaxed substantial improvement out of acid apples, but around 2000 B.C. people produced sweet apple stock. That was also when they began grafting branches from one tree onto another, a clever idea if ever there was one. Much later the Romans, who knew a good thing when they saw it, spread the sweet apple and grafting technology to many lands.

Now skip with me up to the present, because there’s some big news about apples. In the parlance of biologists, the full genome of the apple has recently been described. Read the full article by Dr. Kirsten Peters at CAHNRS News.

Tom Karst of the industry publication The Packer caught up with Amit Dhingra in 2009 for an online chat about tree fruit breeding and genomics. Read the interview.

WSU’s Voice of the Vine article by Brian Clark

How many merlots can you make? At some point, speculates Amit Dhingra, consumers are going to want something different.

Dhingra is a horticultural genomicist at Washington State University. His research focuses on sequencing genomes and then taking that information to produce better fruit. He recently told Voice of the Vine that “as tastes change, I think there will be more wines filling specific niches. People always want something new.” Read the rest of the article in the Voice of the Vine archive.

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.

In 2008, horticultural genomicist Amit Dhingra gave a WSU Innovators talk in downtown Seattle.

Big ideas don’t grow on trees–they help trees grow better. In Washington state, where tree fruit is a multibillion dollar industry, WSU researcher Amit Dhingra’s big ideas for improving fruit quality and growing techniques are making a world of difference.

An expert in fruit genomics, Dr. Dhingra uses gene discovery and biotechnology applications to understand and enhance the unique biological characteristics of major food crops, including apples, grapes, cherries, and pears. With his colleagues at WSU, Dr. Dhingra is identifying the keys to growing more nutritious and delicious fruit. His pioneering work in genome sequencing is creating new knowledge for designing crops to meet the demands of our changing economic and environmental conditions.