Seth Wannemuehler

I am interested in diversifying fruit availability for local production. My research focuses on the examination of kiwiberry as a potential new specialty crop for Minnesota with the goal of identifying ideal harvest times to achieve improved post-harvest storability and fruit quality by observing interactions with pest pressures such as spotted wing drosophila and sooty blotch and flyspeck. Lastly, I am gauging consumer attitudes towards kiwiberry to identify interest level for a new fruit in the Twin Cities area using a second-price auction.