Alfalfa expert Charlie Brummer says it's time to "think about redesigning the alfalfa plant from first principles," after 40 years of frustrated efforts to increase yield. He made the remarks at a recent meeting of the North American Alfalfa Improvement Conference. Students also presented their research, including trials to grow the crop with less water.
Four students connected to the UC Davis Department of Plant Science have received grants from the Milton D. and Mary M. Miller Plant Science Award, which supports learners interested in careers with Cooperative Extension.
The 2024 awardees are Maya Shydlowski, Erika Escalona, Sam Dudley and Ben Baldi. All four students said they are eager to share what they are learning with people in the field who need solutions for everyday problems.
As water becomes scarcer and more expensive in California, growers of water-intensive rice are looking for ways to cut back on the precious resource. By not tilling their land and by using drill-seeders, growers can save water and money, researchers at UC Davis are showing.
Venkatesan Sundaresan has won a Wolf Prize in Agriculture for developing "synthetic apomixis." The method for creating clonal seed at greatly reduced cost is a boon to agriculture, especially for farmers in developing countries.
The world cacao and chocolate market was estimated to be worth more than $47 billion in 2021, and growing. Two UC Davis collaborative projects aim to enlarge the share of that wealth for small farmers in Colombia.
Advances in breeding and postharvest handling in strawberries and tomatoes, aimed at reducing the costs of disease in the field and in postharvest, were on display at the recent Strawberry Disease Field Day, hosted by the UC Davis Strawberry Breeding Program.
Weeds abound: On farmland, pastures, rangelands, in natural areas, in our yards and along our sidewalks. Managing those pesky plants costs plenty: California farmers alone spend more than $900 million annually on weed control, according to a University of California study.
If you put a cutting of, say, a geranium or an inchplant, into a cup of water, you can see tender new roots reaching out within a few days. Soon, a tiny new leaf pokes out of the stem. What you’re seeing is the result of cell division – without which, nothing grows.
A grower applies an herbicide to his tomato plants, or thinks a neighbor’s treatment is drifting over her almond trees. A short time later, the leaves start to bleach or shrivel. Was it the herbicide? Or maybe water stress? Soil nutrients? Perhaps an insect?
Figuring out the causes of crop problems takes detective work, and like solving any mystery, it starts with knowing the signs, gathering evidence and asking questions.
Patrick H. Brown and Cai-Zhong Jiang have been recognized by the American Society of Horticultural Science. Brown was awarded the 2024 Outstanding Researcher Award, and Jiang was named a fellow of the society.
Growers often harvest tomatoes before they ripen in hopes of extending shelf life and avoiding crop loss. But that act of removing the fruit from the vine affects flavor. And, storing tomatoes below certain temperatures also hurts quality and shelf life.
New research published this month out of the University of California, Davis, examined changes in tomatoes at the molecular level to better understand what happens during postharvest handling and cold storage.
UC Davis has been a leading source of information for people handling, packaging and transporting crops since the beginnings of the Postharvest Research and Extension Center in 1979. Now, the center is strengthening its focus on the needs of industry, offering fresh courses, weaving strategic partnerships and expanding into digital media, all while building up its research capacity to better serve the needs of the produce industry.
When Joseph Urias transferred to UC Davis from a community college two years ago, he found allies in the Department of Plant Sciences. The flexible program let him customize his learning. Passionate about the interface of plants and people, he dove into the study of horticulture and nursery management: He aimed to strengthen the hands-on learning he was getting at Planting Justice, a nonprofit nursery and community center in Deep East Oakland.
“Education is like going to the gym,” Urias said. “Learning is exercise for your mind.” And like after a run, he’s feeling good.
Master’s student María José Godoy Harb wants people to know about a remote spot in her native Chile that offers global insights: Easter Island, where the COVID-19 pandemic offered lessons for making food systems more resilient.
J. Neil Rutger died on June 6, 2024, at the age of 90. He was a breeder with the United States Department of Agriculture and an emeritus adjunct professor in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences.
A graveside service with military honors will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, June 21, at the Woodland Cemetery on West Street. A reception will follow at 11 a.m. at the American Legion Yolo Post 77 Hall, 523 Bush St., Woodland.
