tomato harvest - Barbara Blanco-Ulate

About Us

Our Mission

  • Develop students into scholars, mentors, and responsible citizens of California, the United States and the world;
  • Advance, integrate, evaluate and communicate knowledge of plant sciences from lab to field, rangeland, forest, parks, waterways and beyond – using and improving plants to feed, clothe, fuel, restore and beautify the planet;
  • Seek out, anticipate and lead in addressing the agricultural, ecological and environmental needs of industry, governmental agencies, communities and people throughout our world.

Department History

The Department of Plant Sciences was created by consolidating the four commodity-based departments of Agronomy and Range Science, Pomology, Vegetable Crops and Environmental Horticulture. This pooling of manpower and resources has fostered better focus on the teaching, research and outreach missions of one of the leading academic programs in agricultural and environmental sciences in the country.

Under the umbrella of Plant Sciences, over 90 faculty members collaborate on education and research in the emerging programmatic areas of plant and environmental sciences. Fundamental advances in genomics, genetics, plant physiology, evolutionary biology and environmental science has translated into improvements in crop performance and production, postharvest quality, agricultural sustainability and ecosystem management. These research-based advances are necessary to maintain California's agricultural economy at the forefront of the world, to foster agricultural and environmental sustainability and to assure a safe and healthful food supply.