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.
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.
Wheat was the first Western crop planted in California more than 250 years ago, and it’s still a strong contender for growers seeking options as temperatures get hotter and water turns more salty and scarce, researchers at UC Davis told growers and industry representatives this week.
Ivan William Buddenhagen was born in Ventura, Calif., in 1930 to Harold J. Buddenhagen, a petroleum geologist, and Pearl M. Buddenhagen, a teacher and homemaker. He died at his Davis, Calif., home on July 9, 2022. He would have approved of his simple coffin, crafted of pine that had been felled by drought and beetles, and adorned with messages and drawings from his beloved family. A sprawling bouquet of his favorite plants, including banana, served as a botanical mantle atop his coffin.
The Department of Plant Sciences welcomes Imtiyaz Khanday as an assistant professor of plant reproductive biology and as an assistant agronomist for the Agricultural Experiment Station in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of California, Davis.
Cameron Pittelkow is a new professor in the Department of Plant Sciences, UC Davis. His expertise covers Agronomy and Agroecosystems, with a focus on sustainable crop production, management practices for high yields with low environmental footprints, and international agriculture.
Flexible harvest options may allow growers to plant small grains in the winter, rather than fallow ground, out of concern that there will not be adequate water or strong markets to justify the crop. Research by Plant Sciences faculty member Mark Lundy.
