Breeding and Genetics

Boutique chefs will be pleased.

Organic legumes already developed by postdoctoral researcher Travis Parker are prized, especially in Southwest cuisine, for their colorful patterns, flavor and texture. Parker’s new work seeks even better, more beautiful beans for arid climes. The Department of Plant Sciences geneticist has received a boost for his work with a $20,000 grant, funded jointly by the Organic Farming Research Foundation and the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research.

Researchers in the Department of Plant Sciences have found a way to reduce the amount of nitrogen fertilizers needed to grow cereal crops such as rice. The discovery could save farmers in the United States billions of dollars annually in fertilizer costs while also benefiting the environment.

The research comes out of the lab of Eduardo Blumwald, a distinguished professor of plant sciences, who has found a new pathway for cereals to capture the nitrogen they need to grow.

Doctoral student Matt Davis has been accepted into a three-year fellowship program that nurtures young scientists who are addressing unprecedented challenges in American food and agriculture.

Scientists Grey Monroe and Daniela Quiroz are trying to develop a technique that could speed research on processes affecting countless facets of biology – from how plants respond to stressful conditions to the changes that trigger cells’ cancerous growth. They just won a $50,000 boost for their work, with a grant from the UC Davis Science Translation and Innovative Research (STAIR™) program.

Graduate students Amy Groh and Kimberly Gibson of the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of California, Davis have been selected as 2021 Borlaug Scholars by the National Association of Plant Breeders. Twenty-four students in total were named, with six undergraduates and 18 graduates making the list from universities across the country.

Sorghum is an earthy, nutty, gluten-free grain that boasts remarkable drought tolerance. It also poses serious potential as a sustainable crop in a warming world.