Ashley Thompson

Tenga en cuenta que es posible que esta persona no hable español.

Ashley Thompson
she/her/hers

Associate Professor of Horticulture

Contact for questions about commercial cherry and pear production in Wasco and Hood River Counties.

Tenga en cuenta que es posible que esta persona no hable español.

[email protected]

Expertise: Fruit trees

Locations: Hood River County , Wasco County

Biography

Ashley Thompson, Ph.D. is the extension tree fruit horticulturalist for Wasco and Hood River Counties. Her areas of research interest include:

  • Soil fertility management
  • Plant nutrition
  • Sustainable tree fruit production
  • Rootstocks and varieties
  • Tree fruit viruses and phytoplasmas

Ashley also works closely with interdisciplinary teams to:

  • Create enterprise budgets for tree fruit producers
  • Protect the working lands of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
  • Improve the health and safety for farmworkers

Content by Ashley Thompson

OSU builds high-tech tools for orchard growers

Smart technologies aim to cut costs and support specialty crops.

Ashley Thompson | May 2026 | Impact story

OSU Extension helps lead X-disease response in cherries

Research and outreach help growers spot threats early and act fast.

Ashley Thompson, Niall Millar | Mar 2026 | Impact story

Pest management guide for tree fruits: Hood River, The Dalles, White Salmon, Rogue Valley, Umatilla County

This annual guide provides tree fruit growers with the latest information on pesticides and herbicides for fruit trees. People who grow apples, pears and cherries can learn application rates and recommendations for each stage of tree growth.

Ashley Thompson, Achala KC, Jay W. Pscheidt, Nik Wiman, Christopher Adams, Andony Melathopoulos, Niall Millar, Robert Orpet | Mar 2026 | OSU Extension Catalog

The cost of regulatory compliance in the Oregon tree fruit industry

Government regulations are often an overlooked cost of doing business for farmers. Here's a detailed look at how much state and federal regulations cost per acre for four Oregon fruit growers.

Tim Delbridge, Ashley Thompson, Mike McCullough | Nov 2025 | OSU Extension Catalog

MCAREC Field Day spotlights tree fruit research and innovation in the Gorge

Growers gather in Hood River to explore new tools influencing the future of orchards.

Chris Branam | Oct 3, 2025 | News story

Winter sprays help fruit trees stay healthy

OSU Extension tree fruit expert outlines a simple, low-toxicity schedule to prevent pests and diseases.

Kym Pokorny | Dec 10, 2024 | News story

Western Boxelder Bug Feeding Damage in Pear

In pear fruit, injury from boxelder bug feeding looks nearly identical to damage caused by the invasive brown marmorated stink bug. Learn how to tell which bug caused feeding damage to your pears.

Eliott Gloeb, Christopher Adams, Maggie Freeman, Ashley Thompson | Dec 2023 | OSU Extension Catalog

It has been a bad year for PNW cherry growers

Like many cropping systems, economic productivity varies from year to year, and is based on many factors. Increases in cherry production in California affect Oregon and Washington production, market value, and even workforce. This ...

Tim Delbridge, Ashley Thompson | Aug 2023 | OSU Extension Catalog

Picking and storing apples and pears

For the best apples and pears, home orchardists and small farmers pick fruit at optimum maturity. Apples and pears harvested at the right time taste better than fruit picked at other times. They store better, ...

Ashley Thompson, Kelsey Galimba, Eliott Gloeb | Dec 2022 | OSU Extension Catalog

Oregon State University Extension Service

EM 9372  |  October 2022
View online: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/pub/em-9372

Identifying Serious Virus and Phytoplasma Symptoms in Your Cherry Orchard

Ashley Thompson, Christopher Adams and Jay W. Pscheidt
A cherry tree branch with signs of a virus.
EM 9372
Controlling viruses and phytoplasmas is vital to the state’s cherry industry. Here's how.
Controlling viruses and phytoplasmas is vital to the state’s cherry industry. Here are some ways to control their spread and damage.
Identifying Serious Virus and Phytoplasma Symptoms in Your Cherry Orchard
View now

© 2022 Oregon State University. Extension work is a cooperative program of Oregon State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Oregon counties. Oregon State University Extension Service offers educational programs, activities, and materials without discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, familial/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, genetic information, veteran’s status, reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)

Accessibility: This publication will be made available in an accessible alternative format upon request. Please contact [email protected] or 541-737-3311.

Oregon State University Extension Service

EM 9362  |  August 2022
View online: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/pub/em-9362

Getting ahead of X-disease

Ashley Thompson, Christopher Adams, Lauri Reinhold and Jay W. Pscheidt
The cover of EM 9362
EM 9362
How to beat X-disease in your cherry orchard.
How cherry growers can get ahead of the cyclic problem of X-disease.
X-disease has become a cyclic problem on the West Coast as outbreaks of X-disease emerge every 20 years or so. Understanding X-disease and identifying and removing infected trees will help break this cycle.
View now

© 2022 Oregon State University. Extension work is a cooperative program of Oregon State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Oregon counties. Oregon State University Extension Service offers educational programs, activities, and materials without discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, familial/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, genetic information, veteran’s status, reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)

Accessibility: This publication will be made available in an accessible alternative format upon request. Please contact [email protected] or 541-737-3311.

Sweet cherry rootstocks for the Pacific Northwest

Cherry growers have many options when it comes to choosing rootstocks. The combination of new dwarfing rootstocks with high-density training systems leads to earlier production. But growers need to consider soil ...

Lynn Long, Clive Kaiser, Ashley Thompson | Feb 2026 | OSU Extension Catalog

Sweet cherry cultivars for the fresh market

Explore sweet cherry cultivars for the Pacific Northwest, including harvest timing, firmness, size, yield and pollinizers. This publication describes dark red and blush types with color photos.

Ashley Thompson, Matthew Whiting, Lynn Long | May 2025 | OSU Extension Catalog

Managing diseases and insects in home orchards

This pest management guide is for the home gardener. It recommends management practices for controlling diseases and insects in home orchards. It doesn't meet the exacting requirements of the commercial fruit grower.

Jay W. Pscheidt, Heather Stoven, Ashley Thompson, Brooke Edmunds, Nik Wiman, Richard Hilton | Jun 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog

Report ID:
Report ID:

Email Ashley Thompson

CAPTCHA
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.
Esta pregunta es para comprobar si usted es un visitante humano y prevenir envíos de spam automatizado.