WAWG
From Washington State University
Crop and soil scientist Surendra Singh will lead research into better agriculture for the Inland Northwest’s arid country as the new dryland cropping systems agronomist and next director at Washington State University’s (WSU) Lind Dryland Research Station.
Starting in early April 2023, Surendra Singh replaces longtime agronomist and director Bill Schillinger, who retired in early 2022 after 29 years at the Lind Station.
New ideas for arid farmland
Averaging less than 12 inches of rain per year, Lind is one of the driest places to farm in Washington, and, indeed, anywhere. Established in 1915, 1,300-acre Lind Station serves the state’s low and intermediate rainfall zones, with wheat breeding, weed and disease control, rotation options, agronomic management, and soil fertility among top priorities.
As director and agronomist, Surendra Singh will continue and expand research into practices that store water, enrich soil, and reduce erosion in one of the largest and most challenging areas to grow crops in the world. The role links him with Lind staff, university students and scientists, and growers and stakeholders throughout the region. The annual Lind Field Day, held in June, is one of the university’s largest grower-attended field events, allowing crop producers and consultants to inspect research plots and discuss projects with scientists firsthand.
Work at Lind and in long-term soil health is crucial, Surendra said, because it directly addresses current and future needs for regional farming.
“Dryland wheat production in Washington is not only important from an economic standpoint, but also for global food security,” he said. “As rainfall patterns change, costs of fertilizers and other inputs rise, and weed and pest pressures increase, research at Lind and WSU keeps us ahead and ready.”
Originally from India, Surendra earned his doctorate in soil sciences from the University of Tennessee. Since 2020, he has led or collaborated in research projects on cropping systems, soil health, farm profitability, and weed management for dryland farming systems as a postdoctoral scholar at Oregon State University’s Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center in Pendleton.
“An agronomist is a ‘jack-of-all trades’ who must be able to evaluate the impact of changing rotations on crops, soil, pests, economics, and other aspects of agriculture,” said Rich Koenig, chair of WSU’s Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. “Surendra is well-versed in design and implementation of complex rotation experiments and brings a wide understanding of how to measure impacts of changes on the entire system. His breadth of experiences in research and different crops really stood out.”