Picnic Day

We do lots of really cool things in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences! Some of it you can see and experience during Picnic Day 2024, set for Saturday, April 20. Some of it you can even take home. Visit us in the courtyard of the Plant and Environmental Sciences building; the building is south of the tennis courts.

Read on for some of the things you can see and do and eat ... all for free!

Official Picnic Day Site with schedule and maps.

Social Media & Newsletter

Cartoonish image of plants sprouting in a raised bed, with signs with the words "Plant Simulation Lab" on one side.

Explore crop performance in 3D virtual reality

A virtual reality headset lets you see how plants take in light and do photosynthesis.
A woman holds a small gold-colored trophy. She stands with a man in a greenhouse. In front of them are trays with hundreds of 4-inch pots with small green plants growing

Strawberries: Nutritious, delicious and a big state crop

UC Davis' Strawberry Breeding Program gives career opportunities to students and has international impact.
Man holds an ear of dry corn in his hand, above a red machine.

You can pop corn grown on campus lands

Recipe below for popping your own popcorn - it's easy!
student working at a table in the herbarium

Support the UC Davis Center for Plant Diversity/Herbarium (Give Day)

The Herbarium’s fundraising goal is to replace two old microscopes. Your gift of any amount will help our plant identification services, research and teaching.
People talking under a tent. Plants in foreground

Weed doctors seek solutions for pesky plants

Dandelions are pretty, but weeds nationwide cost homeowners, farmers, ranchers and land managers tens of billions of dollars each year in control measures and lost production.

A man dressed like a giant yellow banana

Postharvest Produce Heroes

Since our very earliest days at UC Davis nearly 120 years ago, scientists have looked for ways to maintain and improve the quality of fruits, vegetables and grains after they are harvested.
Two man in a greenhouse filled with plants

Tasty tomatoes: You can grow your own!

In the 1960s, two scientists at UC Davis developed processing tomatoes and a machine harvester that revolutionized the industry in California. Now, tomatoes for both canning and fresh use rank No. 9 in market value statewide.