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 2025, set for Saturday, April 12. 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!

Picnic Day is also Give Day

Each year, Picnic Day partners with many groups on campus to support UC Davis Give Day. Unlike previous years, the Department of Plant Sciences is working to support three philanthropic efforts that support research and students.

Your philanthropic support fuels opportunities that extend beyond the classroom, advance groundbreaking faculty research, and empower our community to make a difference. Because of donors like you, our students, faculty, and researchers continue to share their expertise to benefit California and the world.

  • Daniel Potter Plant Sciences Award Support Fund Challenge: When donors make 15 gifts, a $5,000 challenge from Dr. Daniel Potter and Mr. Peter Lash will be unlock the Daniel Potter Plant Sciences Award Support Fund Challenge. This provides support to students conducting research in the areas of ethnobotany and plant systematics.
  • Louise Ferguson and Craig Kallsen Pistachio Research Fund: When donors make 15 gifts, a $112,360.00 challenge from Rod Stiefvater will unlock the Louise Ferguson and Craig Kallsen Pistachio Research Fund Challenge. This will support the UC Davis Pistachio Breeding Program’s research needs.
  • Chris and Betsy van Kessel Plant Sciences GSR Challenge: When donors make 25 gifts, a $500,000 challenge from Dr. Chris and Mrs. Betsy van Kessel will unlock the Chris and Betsy van Kessel Plant Sciences GSR Endowment Fund Challenge. This will provide support for graduate students who are researching field crops within the Department of Plant Sciences.

General Give Day information and dozens of other opportunities to support UC Davis.

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.
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!
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.
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.