Grant Awards

Federal Agencies

• USDA NRCS/Conservation Innovation Grants: Promoting Widespread Adoption of Weather‐driven Precision Irrigation Scheduling in Northwestern Washington (Z. Wilhelm*, L. R. Khot, R. T. Peters; 2024 – 2027)
• NSF EAGER: A joint research and innovation partnership toward securing an AI-enabled future in agricultural production and climate resilience (A. Kalyanaraman*, L. R. Khot, K. Rajagopalan, P. Pesantez Cabrera, J. Jobe; 2024 – 2026)
• NSF/USDA-NIFA AI Institute: Agricultural AI for Transforming Workforce and Decision Support (AgAID) (A. Kalyanaraman (PD, Lead PI), L. R. Khot (WSU Lead PI), A. Fran (OSU), M. Marathe (UVA), J. Viers (UC-Merced), et al.; 2021-2025).
• NSF/USDA-NIFA Cyber Physical Systems: Field-specific weather-driven automated frost mitigation of specialty crops (L. R. Khot, D. Brown, J. Zagrodnik, G.-A. Hoheisel; 2021-2025).
• U.S. Department of Energy/ PNNL Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory: TWIN Ecosystems (S. Norberg*, L. R. Khot, R. T. Peters; 2021-2024).
• NIOSH/UW PNASH: Engineering solutions to reduce pesticide exposure and waste on Northwest fruit farms (E. J. Kasner (UW), L. R. Khot* (WSU Lead), G.-A. Hoheisel, 2023-2026).
• NSF/USDA-NIFA Cyber Physical Systems: Localized, geospatial sensing of canopy and fruit microclimate for real-time management of sunburn in apple (L. R. Khot*, R. T. Peters, M. Salazar-Gutierrez; 2019-2022).
• FFAR: New Innovator in Food and Agriculture Research: Towards production of residue-free healthy fruit crops (L. R. Khot* [Mentoring collaborators: G.-A. Hoheisel, M. Moyer, B. Bears, M. Grieshop]; 2018-2021).
• USDA/ NIFA/ AFRI: Technology for trade: New tools and new rules for water use efficiency in agriculture and beyond. (J. Yoder, K. Rajagopalan, C. Stockle, L. R. Khot, R. T. Peters et al.; 2018-2022).
• USDA-SCRI: Solid Set Canopy Delivery Systems: an efficient, sustainable and safer spray technology for tree fruit. (M. Grieshop [MSU Lead], L. R. Khot [WSU lead], G.-A. Hoheisel et al; 2016-2019).
• USDA-SCRI: Steam-generated supplementary heat thermotherapy as an immediate treatment for prolonging productivity of HLB-infected citrus trees (R. Ehsani [UF Lead], L. R. Khot [WSU lead]; 2015-2019).
• USDA-ARS Northwest Centre for Small Fruit Research: Precision sub-surface irrigation to regulate wine grape physiology (P. Jacoby, S. Sankaran, M. Keller, T. Peters, L. R. Khot; 2014-2015).
• USDA-ARS Research Agreement: Investigation of laser-guided variable-rate spray technology in Washington state apple orchards (L. R. Khot*, G.-A. Hoheisel, Q. Zhang; 2018 –2024).

State Agencies

• Washington State Conservation Commission: Site-specific intervention-driven emissions reduction strategies for climate-smart dairy farming: research and demonstration (L. R. Khot*, F. Leal-Yepes at Cornell University; 24-25)
• Washington State Department of Agriculture: Weather and geospatial data-guided irrigation and fertilization management decision support tool (R. T. Peters*, L. R. Khot, K. Rajagopalan; 2024 – 2025)
• Washington State Department of Ecology: Walla Walla OpenET (L. R. Khot*; 2024 – 2025)
• Washington State Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant: Adapting a carbohydrate-based fruitlet thinning model for WA state apple production (L. Kalcsits, L. R. Khot; 2023-2026).
• Washington State Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant: Utilizing machine learning for site-specific Washington State perennial crop weather forecasting (L. R. Khot*, C. Mass; 2021-2024).
• Washington State Department of Labor and Industries: Integrating Air Quality Sensors in AgWeatherNet Phase 1 and 2 (L. R. Khot*, E. Kasner, J. Gordon Nunez; 2022-2023; 2023-2024).
• WSDA-SCBG: Alternative pest management technologies for tree fruit and wine grapes (L. R. Khot*, G.-A. Hoheisel, M. Moyer; 2018-2021). 
• WSDA-SCBG: Novel sensing for potato postharvest quality and loss management in bulk storages. (S. Sankaran, L.R. Khot, B. Schroeder; 2017-2020).
• WSDA-SCBG: Deep sub-surface micro-irrigation to increase water use efficiency in Washington vineyards (P. Jacoby, L. R. Khot, H. Sadeghi, S. Sankaran; 2015-2018).
• WSDA-SCBG [Specialty Crop Block Grant]: Rapid detection technologies for in-field and post-harvest apple bitter pit management (L. R. Khot, S. Sankaran, A. Dhingra, K. Lewis; 2014-2017).

Commodity Commissions

• WTFRC [Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission]-Technology. Smart apple orchard: Technology testbed and demonstration site (L. R. Khot*, B. Sallato, S. Mantle, R. T. Peters, A. Kalyanaraman; 2024 – 2027).
• Dairy Management Institute: Smart sensing solutions for dairy farming (L. R. Khot*, F. Leal-Yepes at Cornell University; 2023 – 2024).
• WTFRC [Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission] -Apple: Efficient heat stress management for improved apple fruit quality. (L. R. Khot*, B. Sallato, C. Torres, R. T. Peters; 2021-2024).
• WTFRC [Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission] -Apple: Reliable soil diagnostic technology for smart nutrient management. (B. Sallato, L. R. Khot*; 2021-2024).
• WTFRC [Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission] -Technology: Smart Orchards Year 1-4+ optional connectivity. (S. Mantle, L. R. Khot; 2020-2024).
• WTFRC [Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission] -Cherry: Towards identification of LCD linked volatile biomarkers. (L. R. Khot*, S. Harper, B. Sallato; 2021-2022).
• WTFRC [Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission] -Apple: Data to model apple airblast spraying drift exposure levels. (L. R. Khot*, G.-A. Hoheisel, H. Thistle; 2018-2019).
• WTFRC [Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission] -Apple: Database of airblast sprayer metrics for use in mechanistic drift model. (L. R. Khot*, G.-A. Hoheisel, H. Thistle; 2018-2019).
• Washington Blueberry Commission: Modeling blueberry cold hardiness in Washington. (G.-A. Hoheisel, L. W. DeVetter, L. R. Khot, T. Coffey; 2017-2020).
• BIOAg [Center for Sustainable Ag and Natural Resources]: Rapid sensing of dairy manure nutrients for precision applications in agricultural production (P. Ndegwa, L. R. Khot, G. Kafle; 2016-2017).
• SWWRC [State of Washington Water Research Center 104B program]: Low energy precision (/spray) applications: unmanned aerial system based rapid evaluation for crop and site specific system adaptation in the Pacific Northwest (L. R. Khot, T. R. Peters, H. Neibling; 2016-2017).
• WTFRC [Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission] -Apple: Effectiveness of foliar calcium applications in bitter pit management (L. Kalcsits, S. Sankaran, L. R. Khot; 2015-2017).
• OBC [Oregon Blueberry Commission]: Assessment of application technologies specific to the Western Pacific Northwest Blueberries (V. Walton, G.-A. Hoheisel, L. R. Khot; 2015-2017).
• WSGWRC [Washington State Grape and Wine Research Program]: Assessment of application technologies in wine grapes (G.-A. Hoheisel, M. Moyer, L. R. Khot; 2014-2018).
• Yamaha Precision Agriculture Inc. and Digital Harvest Inc. sponsored demo & presentations of unmanned helicopter technology to WA Stakeholders and WSU Researchers, Event cost sponsorship (2015).
• WWF [Washington Wheat Foundation]: Equipment grant to purchase a 2D light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system for rapid field phenotyping of spring and winter wheat varieties (S. Sankaran, L. R. Khot, A. Carter, M. Pumphrey; 2014-2015).

Internal Competitive Grants

• WSU Office of Commercialization– Commercialization Gap Fund: Pneumatic solid set canopy delivery system for pesticide applications in perennial specialty crops (L. R. Khot*, M. Grieshop, G.-A. Hoheisel, R. Ranjan, R. Sinha; 2021-2022)
• WSU-Emerging Research Issues: Adapting satellite-based methods for estimating water use and crop-water stress to high resolution images from small UAS (R. T. Peters, L. R. Khot, C. Stockle; 2017-2019).
• WSU-Emerging Research Issues: In-field sensing and decision support system to prevent cherry fruit cracking due to rainwater (L. R. Khot, T. Peters, Q. Zhang, D. Granatstein; 2014-2016).

Private Industry/Workshop/Gifts

• Capstan Ag Systems, Inc, KS: Assessment of CapstanAg rate and spray control technology (G.A. Hoheisel*, L. R. Khot; 2020)
• Innov8Ag: Imagery Data Analysis (2020-2021)
• Microsoft AI for Earth Grant: Smart devices, edge and cloud computing for abiotic stress monitoring in fresh market tree fruit crops. (R. Ranjan, A. Basavaraj, L R. Khot*; 2020)
• Microsoft AI for Earth Grant: Cloud based advanced machine learning tools for efficient grapevine irrigation management (A. Chandel, L R. Khot*; 2020)
• 2-Day UAS in Agriculture Workshop, November 15-16, 2018.
• WSU Drone Data Analytics Workshop, May 24, 2018.
• 2-Day UAS in Agriculture Workshop, November 8-9, 2017.
• Desert Air Solutions, Mattawa, WA (Sun Hwang & Steve Kim). In-kind UAS equipment donation.  (2016).
• Borton Fruits, Yakima, WA. In-kind cash to support WSDA-SCBG project ‘Rapid detection technologies for in-field and post-harvest apple bitter pit management’. (2015).
• Wilbur-Ellis Co. (Pacific Northwest Division). Lunch Sponsorship for CPAAS Open house and Ag Tech Day 2015. (2015).
• Yamaha Precision Agriculture Inc. and Digital Harvest Inc. sponsored demo & presentations of unmanned helicopter technology to WA Stakeholders and WSU Researchers. (2015).
• Digital Harvest Inc.; In-kind equipment support to WSU-ERI project ‘In-field sensing and decision support system to prevent cherry fruit cracking due to rainwater’. (2015).

International Collaborations

• India – National Agricultural Higher Education Project (funded by World Bank): Climate Smart Precision Agriculture and Water Management. (MPKV India Team: S. D. Gorantiwar, M. G. Shinde et al.; WSU Team: L. R. Khot*, C. Stockle, R. T. Peters, Q. Zhang, D. Brown; 2018-2021).
• Chile Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica. The digital agriculture network to strengthen agricultural resilience under climate change. (PUC Chile PI: Dr. F. Meza et al.; WSU Team: C. Stockle, L. R. Khot, R. T. Peters; 2018-2019).