Welcome to the Soil to Society February Quarterly Newsletter! These last couple of months were full of finishing up harvest 2023, preparing the harvest for data analysis, networking at meetings and conferences, and sharing our progress with one another. This past week, we had our bi-annual, all-team update meeting over zoom, which allowed project researchers and invested parties (stakeholders) to catch up on what each other has been working on since our last all-team meeting in August 2023. At this meeting, we also got to introduce some new members of our invested parties and advisory boards. We are excited to welcome Jeremy Bunch from Shepherd's Grain, Shannon Berscht from the Northern Pulse Growers Association, Sean Finnie from the USDA Wheat Quality Lab, Erin Rees Clayton from the Good Food Institute, and Andrew Benson from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Food for Health Center to our project team! |
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The Soil & Cropping Systems Team is continuing their rotational and micronutrient trials in Pullman, WA and Mt. Vernon, WA and working on analysis of soil samples collected in 2022 and 2023, and data analysis from yield and biomass sampling. Total arthropod abundance was not significantly different among treatment methods (cover crops, residue management, and compost addition). This is not surprising, because May 2023, when spring sampling took place, was unusually dry. Also, soil biota may not respond immediately to different treatments. |
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This team also planted the second year of their buckwheat rotational trials at Viva Farms in Mt. Vernon, WA. These trials explore the impact of incorporating buckwheat as a rotational crop in a diversified vegetable cropping system. |
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Photo Credit: Dr. Deirdre Griffin-LaHue |
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In the trial evaluating the benefits of buckwheat and wheat rotation with vegetable systems, wheat plots had higher mycorrhizal fungal biomass. This cropping season will explore if this effect lasts throughout the following vegetable season. For their micronutrient trials, grain samples are currently being analyzed for micronutrient content, specifically the levels of iron, zinc, and manganese. Results coming soon! |
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The Plant Breeding Team is largely working to analyze their 2023 harvest- quantifying the phytic acid, performing micronutrient analysis, and planning future crosses to advance desirable traits. All grain crops are being bred for low phytic acid, high levels of iron and zinc, and high beta glucan (for barley). |
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Both right and left photos are of the WSU Breadlab's multicolored wheat. Photo Credit: WSU Breadlab |
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Multicolored (black, blue, and burgundy) soft and hard winter and spring wheat has been harvested and tested for baking flavor and functionality at the WSU Breadlab, with promising results. Additionally, researchers sent a lentil diversity panel to the New Zealand counter-season. This counter-season has two purposes - it will contribute one environment to a GWAS project that is examining resistant starch and folate concentrations in lentils and also be a seed increase to provide adequate seed for testing at multiple locations in the US in 2024. Harvest occurred in late February and the seed will be returned to Washington in March in time for 2024 spring planting. As our plant breeders continue to select and grow out their desirable crop varieties, they are preparing to hand seed over to the Food Science and Human Health research teams. For example, ample barley seed passed from the plant breeders to nutritionists on the Population Nutrition and Social Science team for a clinical trial they are launching in June 2024 (more information on this trial below). |
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The Food Science and Products Team has been working on various projects for the last several months. Dr. Tang’s team processed whole grain meals of the barley, quinoa and buckwheat provided by the plant breeders for the nutritional clinical trials organized by Dr. Martine Perrigue and her assistance, Lisa Grentz, in Spokane. This trial looks at the role convenience plays in whole grain consumption, requiring ready-to-eat servings of whole grains. Food engineers used microwave pasteurization to process whole grains into pre-portioned and cooked servings that can be reheated in microwave ovens and eaten straight. Both researchers in the School of Food Science at WSU and the WSU Breadlab are testing our various whole grain crops for baking and cooking functionality and flavor. Dr. Stephen Jones has been working with his multicolored wheat, while Dr. Girish Ganjyal and his lab have been exploring how the physicochemical properties of alternative grain flours influence pancake quality. They are exploring this hypothesis by testing buckwheat, quinoa, whole wheat, and proso-millet pastry flour in pancakes and noting the batter viscosity, pancake diameter, weight, color, height, and hardness. They are also working on flour and seed fractionation, evaluating both for the starch, protein, and fiber fractions that affect cooking and baking functionality. |
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In addition to the collaborative study mentioned above, the Population Nutrition and Social Science Team is working to finalize their food choice experiment, surveying consumer's preference for whole grains and legumes. This requires participants to make a series of choices between two items that have different combinations of characteristics (e.g., whole grain, refined grain, meat, legume, type of product, price) in two separate experiments that reveal their preferences and willingness-to-pay for whole grains and legumes, respectively. Team researchers have published a manuscript on pea and lentil consumption in the US population in the journal Nutrients. They are now taking a similar analytical approach with barley, buckwheat, and quinoa, and planning a modeling study for wheat that looks at the potential of replacing refined wheat foods with whole wheat options. |
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Human Health and Nutrition Team master's student, Devin Connolly, has completed a study using in vitro fermentation to test the body's response to different quinoa food products. A literature review will soon be submitted, and data manuscript is in preparation. They have set aside samples to be used for metabolite analyses and cell culture experiments, in the next phase of this project. Preliminary results were presented at the Probiotics, Prebiotics and New Foods congress (Rome) and the Northwest meeting of the American Society for Microbiology (Portland); as well as part of a plenary lecture at the industry oriented Plant-Based Foods & Proteins Course (Minneapolis). In vitro fermentation from bread with varying fiber content from the Breadlab has also been completed. |
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Photos of Viva Farms' Farm-to-school programming Photo Credit: Viva Farms |
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The Education Team has been working to implement farmer engagement and training targeting our six crops by first identifying suitable incubating farmers to participate in independent variety trials. They will then provide ongoing technical assistance for farmers as well as workshops to educate farmers on production, harvest, post-harvest, marketing, sales, and supply chain management best practices. This information will also be added to Viva Farm's Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture applied course. Viva Farms is also working to bulk up their farm to school involvement, conducting on-farm and in-school outreach, identifying and accessing capacities, and providing technical assistance to school gardens. The Education Team has also launched the second year of the summer research opportunity for high school students interesting in working in the scientific field in a lab and/or field setting. The opportunity involves conducting a research project with one of our grant researchers, completing an online, 1 credit course, and presenting at a poster symposium in Fall 2024. Applications have closed and prospective interns will be notified of our decision shortly. |
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Why external evaluation? External evaluation is required by large granting bodies such as the USDA and NSF. The USDA AFRI SAS request for application requires inclusion of an external evaluator that has “no role on the project, other than as the external evaluator,” as “success in meeting objectives must be demonstrated through proposed project metrics. Reporting requirements must include a description of key achievements.” External evaluation plays a crucial role in demonstrating to granting bodies that projects are making appropriate and effective use of funding. |
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This figure shows how external evaluators collect information, analyze data, and provide recommendations to project personnel. Photo Credit: KSU OEIE |
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Why your participation matters Evaluation relies on feedback from project team members. The more people who participate in evaluation activities, the more accurately evaluation reporting will reflect the experiences and perspectives of the project team. Consequently, the reporting made back to USDA and other granting agencies will itself be higher quality and more useful to demonstrate project progress towards its outcomes. By nature, external evaluators are outside of the project to maximize objectivity, but that very externality means that they need you to tell them the ins-and-outs of program implementation and progress. Participation is important to ensure that your voice is reflected in reporting to USDA, whether your feedback be positive or negative. If aspects of the project are working well, the evaluators want to know so that project leadership can continue to support and strengthen those areas. If aspects of the project are not working well, the evaluators also want to know so that these areas can be improved or modified. Remember – evaluation activities are confidential. Participating in surveys, focus groups, and other evaluation data collections is your opportunity to make your perspective heard and to improve the project in real time. Your voice matters! |
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Thank You to Our Partners! |
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This research was supported by the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) Sustainable Agricultural Systems (SAS) program, grant number WNP00882. |
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