Research and Extension
Take a moment to explore the world class research programs conducted by faculty in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at Washington State University!
Our faculty are committed to discovering and developing principles of crop and soil sciences through scientific investigation and applying these principles to the development of new crop varieties, and new crop, soil, and water management practices in agricultural, urban and natural environments. We work toward assuring a plentiful and safe food supply and ensuring that agriculture and green space industries remain competitive, productive, and profitable.
- Soil Fertility and Management
- Weed Science and Invasive Species Management
- Organic Agriculture and Farming Systems
- Conservation Cropping Systems and Direct Seeding Technology
- Bioenergy Development
Learn more about the facilities and farms available in the Department of Crop & Soil Sciences.
WSU Plant, Animal Scientists Ranked 13th Internationally
Plant and animal scientists at WSU are among the most productive and most impactful in the world, according to rankings recently released by Thomson Reuters.
In its July 2010 “Essential Science Indicators,” the business and professional information gathering company ranked WSU 13th in the world and sixth in the United States based on the number of journal articles produced by faculty scientists.
More important were the number of citations those articles generated. From January 1999 to June 2009, WSU researchers produced 2,473 scientific papers, which garnered 32,544 citations by other scientists.
“This ranking is by citations per paper among those institutions that have collected 25,000 or more citations in plant and animal sciences,” according to the company. “The ranking by citations per paper seeks to reveal heavy-hitters based on per paper influence, not mere output.”
That reflects the quality and scope of plant and animal science being conducted at WSU in the colleges of Sciences, Veterinary Medicine, and Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences, said Howard Grimes, WSU vice president for research.
“The fact that the science we’re producing is foundational to other work being done around the globe is especially important,” he said. “This speaks volumes about the kind of inquiry we’re tackling.”
Essential Science Indicators issues bimonthly updates of institutions ranked in the top one percent for a field over a given period, based on total citations. For the current version, 887 institutions are listed in the field of plant and animal sciences. Of those, just 40 collected 25,000 or more citations.
Other institutions in the top 20 include the John Innes Centre (United Kingdom), Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN, Japan), Max Planck Society (Germany), University of California San Diego, University of Arizona, National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS, France), University of Washington, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO, Australia), and the University of British Columbia (Canada).
Source: CAHNRS On Solid Ground, 8/11/10.