vernal pool research

Research

Our Research

The UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences is a leader in the research, teaching and delivery of all aspects of plant science, from lab to field, forest, rangeland and beyond.

We are committed to our land-grant mission, established by the U.S. Congress in 1862, to provide quality higher education and address the needs of society. We address our world’s agricultural, ecological and environmental needs through cutting-edge science, dynamic undergraduate and graduate education and exemplary outreach.

Our Facilities

The department has field research facilities near the Davis campus that support our research, teaching and outreach missions.

  • The Plant Sciences Field Station includes nearly 1000 acres of cropland and over 90,000 square feet of laboratory, workspace, storage, and other building space.
  • The 600-acre “vegetable crops” site just west of the Davis campus primarily focuses on small grain, row crops, forages, seed crops, and annual fruit and vegetable crop systems.
  • The nearly 200-acre “pomology” field site, also just west of the campus, focuses on breeding, physiology, and fruit and nut tree crop production practices.
  • The 175-acre Wolfskill Experimental Orchard is located south of Winters, California, about  15 miles west of Davis.  This location is focused on fruit and nut tree crops, strawberry breeding, and also hosts approximately 75 acres devoted to a USDA-ARS plant germplasm repository.

In addition to the department-managed field research facilities, many researchers in the department conduct research at UC Research and Extension Centers (RECs) located in other regions of the state.  These nine facilities range from north to south in the state and represent important regions and environments where agricultural and natural resource research occurs. Many of our faculty and students collaborate and conduct field research at other research facilities, other University of California and California State University campuses, or on-site in real-world agricultural or environmental sites. 

On campus, departmental researchers utilize many UC Davis and College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences resources and core facilities