UC Davis researchers Grey Monroe and Daniela Quiroz have received a $50,000 STAIR grant to develop a tool for studying DNA repair processes. Their research aims to create faster, more efficient ways to decode histone signals, potentially advancing health and agriculture.
Team AggieCulture competed in the Urban Greenhouse Challenge finals at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, landing in the top five out of over 30 teams. Their "Living Gardens" proposal aimed to create sustainable food systems in food deserts.
A course developed by the University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program, "Diagnosing Herbicide Injury," won a 2022 Gold Award for its interactive, animated tutorial led by a cartoon resembling Professor Brad Hanson. It helps users identify herbicide-related plant issues and is popular with growers and pest advisers.
The African Plant Breeding Academy, hosted by UC Davis, kicked off its spring session in Nairobi with 40 scientists from 22 African nations. The program, focusing on crop improvement, aims to combat malnutrition and boost food security.
UC Davis researchers discovered genes in strawberries resistant to Fusarium wilt, a deadly soilborne disease. This breakthrough will protect crops, offering future cultivars with the resistance gene and helping safeguard California’s strawberry industry.
UC Davis researchers Amelie Gaudin and Jeffrey Mitchell, along with their team, were honored for showing that winter cover crops can improve soil health with minimal impact on groundwater use. Their work supports sustainable farming practices in California's Central Valley.
UC Davis Prof. Mary L. Cadenasso and colleagues propose a framework for understanding human-natural disasters, highlighting how human actions and natural processes combine to create events like wildfires, exacerbated by climate change.
UC Davis researchers, led by Allen Van Deynze and Charlie Brummer, are developing spinach varieties resistant to downy mildew, with improved nitrogen efficiency and reduced cadmium uptake. Trials with over 1,700 genetic lines aim for faster, healthier growth.
Richard Michelmore and his UC Davis lab are working to breed lettuce resistant to diseases like downy mildew, Fusarium, and corky root. They are exploring genetic bases for resistance and providing breeding lines to seed companies.
Lisa F. Brown, the long-time graduate student advisor for the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, is retiring after nearly 35 years with the university. Brown was recently honored with an Eleanor and Harry Walker Academic Advising Award from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
UC Davis Prof. Jennifer Funk used her $20,000 Barbara D. Webster Scholar award to provide 10 high school girls with hands-on plant ecology research experience. Their work sparked interest in science, with some continuing as lab volunteers.
We are pleased to profile two people who have graduated from the Department of Plant Sciences and are now launching exciting careers in their fields. Joanna Solins and Saarah Kuzay's stories tell of the passion they brought to their studies and how people here supported them in their journeys.
The Conservation Agriculture Systems Innovation Center received the 2022 Conservation Innovation Award for promoting no-till and low-till farming practices. The center helps improve soil health, water storage, and reduce environmental impact.
Three UC Davis students received the NAPB Borlaug Scholarship, offering mentorship and funding for their careers in plant breeding. The program supports their research in biotechnology, genomic prediction, and salinity tolerance in crops.
A UC Davis-led project on poplar trees aims to create sustainable jet fuel using plant-based materials. The research focuses on genetic traits, artificial intelligence, and biofuel production to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and combat climate change.
