Lisa Wasko DeVetter

Biography

Lisa leads the state-wide Small Fruit Horticulture program and is based at the Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center in Mount Vernon, Washington. Lisa joined Washington State University in 2014 and has developed a diverse research and extension program with an emphasis on maximizing productivity, fruit quality, and on-farm efficiencies while ensuring the health of adjacent natural resources critical for small fruit crop production in the Pacific Northwest. Primary research areas include optimizing pollination services in small fruit crops, improved end-of-life management of agricultural plastics used in small fruit crop production, understanding and mitigating abiotic stress (i.e., heat and cold), machine harvesting technologies, and nutrient management.

Areas of Interest

• Small fruit crop production and whole-plant physiology in response to alternative management systems designed to optimize plant productivity, fruit quality, and on-farm efficiencies while maintaining the health of adjacent natural resources within a diversity of production systems.
• Crops of focus: blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, and strawberry.

Education

• Ph.D., Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• M.S., Horticulture and Soil Science, Iowa State University
• B.S., Horticulture and Biology, Iowa State University

Selected Publications

• Jadhav, S., L.W. DeVetter, G.T. LaHue, S.L Spencer, A. Prudencio, C. Caldana, A.R. Fernie, and M. Borghi. 2025. Nitrogen fertilizer exerts little impact on highbush blueberry floral chemistry, pollinator visitation, yield, and fruit quality. Physiologia Plantarum. 177(5):e70526 https://doi.org/10.1111/ppl.70526
• Rojas-Barros, P., D. Bryla, S. Orr, B. Maupin, M. Hardigan, and L.W. DeVetter. 2025. Fruit calcium is influenced by soil and physiological factors but not by fertilizer applications in floricane-fruiting red raspberry. HortScience. 60(10):1836–1841 https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI18838-25
• Eeraerts, M., C. Kogan, R. Isaacs, P. Batáry, B.R. Blaauw, K. Bobiwash, J.W. Campbell, P. Cavigliasso, J.C. Daniels, J.D. Ellis, J. Gibbs, L. Goldstein, R.E. Mallinger, A. Melathopoulos, S.Z. Miller, A. Montero-Castanõ, S.M. Naranjo, C.C. Nicholson, J.A. Perkins, N.E. Raine, T.H. Ricketts, E. Rogers, J.J. Ternest, K. Verheyen, and L.W. DeVetter. 2025. Wild bees mediate fruit quality via seed set in highbush blueberry: Aquantitative synthesis. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 394: 10987 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2025.109872
• Weiss, B., B. Maupin, D.S. Bajwa, A. Durado, S. Weyers, W. Ahmad, G. Gramig, and L.W. DeVetter. 2025. Hydromulch suppresses dicot but not monocot weeds and maintains yield and fruit quality in established blueberry. HortScience. 60(10), 1674-1683. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI18739-25
• Borghi, M., L.W. DeVetter, P. Edger, M. Gutensohn, E. Grotewold, R. Sagili, K.K Graham, M.A. Body, C. Li, S.P. Galinato, A. Melathopoulos, J.H. Cane, P. Sandefur, A. Dela Luz, R.N. Schaeffer, C.C. Rering, S. Jadhav, Y. Chu, and D.H. Chitwood. 2025. Enhancing entomophilous pollination for sustainable crop production. The Plant Journal. 122(4):e70234. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70234
• Shcherbatyuk, N., B. Weiss, Y. Yu, N. Gull, A. Williams, L.W. DeVetter, and C. Miles. 2025. Frequently asked questions about soil-biodegradable plastic mulches. HortTechnology. 35(4): 470-480 https://doi.org/10.21273/horttech05652-25
• Makonya, G.M., D.R. Bryla, M.A. Hardigan, W. Hoashi-Erhardt, and L.W. DeVetter. 2025. Biostimulants with glycine betaine or kelp extract alleviate heat stress in red raspberry (Rubus idaeus). Scientific Reports. 15:2251 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-83955-7
• Brouwer, K., M. Eeraerts*, E. Rogers, L. Goldstein, J.A. Perkins, M.O. Milbrath, A. Melathopoulos, J. Meyer, C. Kogan, R. Isaacs, and L.W. DeVetter*. 2024. Strategic honey bee hive placement improves honey bee visitation but not pollination in northern highbush blueberry. Journal of Economic Entomology. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toae267.
• Weiss, B., W. Ahmad, B. Maupin, D. McFadden, D. Bajwa, A. Durado, S. Weyers, S.P. Galinato, G. Gramig, and L.W. DeVetter*. 2025. MulcH20: Hydromulches maintain strawberry yield, fruit quality, and plant nutrient status across two contrasting environments. HortScience. 60:111–117. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI18224-24.
• Chabert, S., M. Eeraerts, L.W. DeVetter, M. Borghi, and R. Mallinger. 2024. Intraspecific crop diversity for enhanced pollination success, insect pollinator populations, and yield outcomes: need, benefits, and implementation. A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development. 44(50). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-024-00984-2.
• Shcherbatyuk, N., S. Wortman, D. McFadden, S. Weyers, W. Ahmad, D. Bajwa, S.P. Galinato, A. Formiga, G. Gramig, and L.W. DeVetter*. Alternative and emerging mulch technologies for organic and sustainable agriculture in the United States: A review. HortScience. 59(10):1524-1533. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI18029-24.
• Eeraerts, M., S. Chabert, L.W. DeVetter, P. Batáry, J. Ternest, K. Verheyen, K. Bobiwash, K. Brouwer, D. Garcia, A. de Groot, J. Gibbs, L. Goldstein, D. Kleijn, A. Melathopoulos, S.Z. Miller, M. Miñarro, A. Montero-Castaño, C. Nicholson, J.A. Perkins, N. Raine, S. Rao, J. Reilly, T. Ricketts, E. Rogers, and R. Isaacs. 2024. Pollination deficits and their relation with insect pollinator visitation are cultivar-dependent in an entomophilous crop. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 369:109036. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2024.109036.
• Sloan, C., L.W. DeVetter, D. Griffin-LaHue, C. Benedict, D.R. Bryla, G.T. LaHue. 2024. Nitrogen supply from soil organic matter: predictors and implications for nutrient management in northern highbush blueberry. HortScience. 59(6):725-735. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI17632-23.
• Sarpong, K.A., F.A. Adesina, L.W. DeVetter, K. Zhang, K. DeWhitt, K.R. Englund, and C.A. Miles. 2024. Recycling agricultural plastic mulch: Limitations and opportunities in the United States. Circular Agricultural Systems. 4:e005 doi: 10.48130/cas-0024-0003 s (2, 5, 6, 7).
• Carroll, J.L., S.T. Orr, C. Benedict, L.W. DeVetter, and D.R. Bryla. 2024. Feasibility of using pulse drip irrigation for increasing growth, yield, and water productivity of red raspberry. HortScience. 59:332-339. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI17467-23.
• Eeraerts, M., L.W. DeVetter, Péter Batáry, J.J. Ternest, R. Mallinger, J. Campbell, P. Cavigliasso, A. De Groot, B. Faye, J. Gibbs, D. Kleijn, A. Montero-Castaño, A. Melathopoulos, C. Nicholson, N. Raine, T. Ricketts, and R. Isaacs. 2023. Global synthesis on highbush blueberry pollination reveal considerable pollinator contributions of both honey bees and wild bees by region. Journal of Applied Ecology. 60(12):2528-2539. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14516.
• Kogan, C., L.W. DeVetter*, and G.A. Hoheisel. 2023. Modeling northern highbush blueberry cold hardiness for the Pacific Northwest. HortScience. 58(11):1314-1320. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI17320-23.
• Shrestha, S., L.W. DeVetter, C. Miles, J. Mejia-Muñoz, P. Krone, M. Bolda, and S. Ghimire. 2023. Building agricultural knowledge of soil-biodegradable plastic mulch. HortTechnology. 3(5):455-463. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH05248-23.
• Wang, X., C. Mattupalli, G. Chastagner, L. Tymon, Z. Wu, S. Jung, H. Liu, and L.W. DeVetter*. 2023. Physical characteristics of soil-biodegradable and nonbiodegradable plastic mulches impact conidial splash dispersal of Botrytis cinerea. PLOS ONE. 18(5): e0285094. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0285094.
• DeVetter, L.W.*, S. Chabert, M.O. Milbrath*, R.E. Mallinger, J. Walters, R. Isaacs, S.P. Galinato, C. Kogan, K. Brouwer, A. Melathopoulos, and M. Eeraerts. 2022. Toward evidence-based decision support systems to optimize pollination and yields in highbush blueberry. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. 6:1006201. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2022.1006201.
• Eeraerts, M., E. Rogers, B. Gillespie, L. Best, O. Smith, and L.W. DeVetter*. 2022. Landscape-level honey bee hive density, instead of field-level hive density, enhances honey bee visitation in blueberry. Landscape Ecology. 8(2):583-595. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-022-01562-1.
• Madrid, B., J.R. Goldberger, C.A. Miles, and L.W. DeVetter*. 2022. Risk and uncertainty of plastic mulch adoption in raspberry production systems. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems. 37(6):660-671. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742170522000291.
• Madrid, B., S. Wortman, D.G. Hayes, J.M. DeBruyn, C, Miles, M. Flury, T.L. Marsh, S.P. Galinato, K. Englund, S. Agehara, and L.W. DeVetter*. 2022. End-of-life management options for agricultural mulch films in the United States—A review. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. 6:921496. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2022.921496.