Drought | Department of Plant Sciences

Funk, Ossola offer landscape tips amid drought on ABC10

by Trina Kleist
May 25, 2022

Save money with native plants and trees, researchers suggest

Jennifer Funk and Alessandro Ossola appeared on ABC10 News in Sacramento to offer tips for conserving water, as

Staff Research Assistant Grant Johnson monitors a slow sand filtration tank coupled with a vegetated filter and planted with canna at the South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine, Calif. The work was among projects overseen by landscape horticulturalist Lorence Oki and funded, in part, by the Plant California Alliance over many years.

UC Davis Research Prepares State’s $3.7 Billion Nursery and Floral Industry for a Drier Future

by Trina Kleist
April 11, 2022

As California enters a third summer of record drought, farmers who raise nursery and floral crops are looking for ways to grow plants with less water, more efficiently, while fighting new diseases and detecting plagues quicker.

Researchers with the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences are finding ways to help, with support from the Plant California Alliance. The grower-supported organization has granted nearly $400,000 to the department since 2006, according to college records.

A small alpine lake surrounded by tall pine trees. The exposed rock of a mountain is visible in the background.

Drought and Climate Change Shift Tree Disease in Sierra Nevada

by Kat Kerlin
August 26, 2021

Even pathogens have their limits. When it gets too hot or too dry, some pathogens — like many living things — search for cooler, wetter and more hospitable climes. Ecologists have questioned if a warming, drying climate is connected to the spread of plant disease, but detecting a climate change fingerprint has been elusive.

A field of flowering sorghum at midday. The sky is seen in the distance with no clouds.

Christine Diepenbrock receives NIFA grant for the enhancement of grain sorghum

by Matt Marcure
July 13, 2021

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.

The field trial at UC Davis with participants at one of the past events.

Climate Ready Landscape Plants: $1 million Grant to Expand Program to Western States

by Ann Filmer
June 29, 2020

Awards and rankings

Research spearheaded by Loren Oki, Department of Plant Sciences, UC Davis, evaluates landscape plants to determine the best low water-use plants for California. Creating water budgets is required by California’s Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance. A new grant from CDFA/USDA expands this project to other western states to minimize water use.

UC Davis Plant Sciences Joins the Center for Bioenergy Innovation as a Full Partner

by Ann Filmer
June 26, 2020

Department news

The Department of Plant Sciences, UC Davis, has become a full partner with the Center for Bioenergy Innovation, led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. CBI is one of four Biological and Environmental Research Centers funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, with a mission to advance the use of biomass for biofuel and bioproduct development as part of the emerging bioeconomy.

Wheat plants photographed in Robbins Hall at UC Davis. UC Davis Professor Jorge Dubcovsky and Postdoctoral Researcher Josh Hegarty are collaborating with flour mills and artisan bakers to test and select a variety of Triticale, a hybrid that combines wheat and rye. (photo Karin Higgins/UC Davis)

Jorge Dubcovsky and Joshua Hegarty: STAIR Grant to Advance Innovative Solutions with Commercial Potential

by Ann Filmer
June 09, 2020

Awards and rankings

Professor Jorge Dubcovsky and postdoc Joshua Hegarty, Plant Sciences, received a STAIR Grant to advance innovative solutions with commercial potential. They are working on breeding Triticale, a wheat and rye hybrid, which is being improved and tested for its baking quality.

Working Rangelands Wednesdays: Ken Tate, June 3

by Ann Filmer
May 29, 2020

Range management

Ken Tate, UC Davis and UC ANR, will address “Water Quality on Pastures and Rangelands” at the Working Rangelands Wednesdays webinar on June 3, 2020. The new series of biweekly webinars focuses on working rangelands in California and the West. Webinars are recorded and offered as podcasts.

Flooding Stunted 2019 Cropland Growing Season, Resulting in More Atmospheric CO2

by Ann Filmer
April 07, 2020

Technology

Severe flooding throughout the Midwest — which triggered a delayed growing season for crops in the region — led to a reduction of 100 million metric tons of net carbon uptake during June and July of 2019, according to a new study. Professor Troy Magney, Plant Sciences, UC Davis, co-authored the study.

Wood chips from recycled almond trees are spread across an orchard in California's Stanislaus County. (photo Brent Holtz, UCANR)

Almond Orchard Recycling a Climate-Smart Strategy

by Ann Filmer
April 01, 2020

Climate change

Recycling trees onsite can sequester carbon, save water and increase crop yields, making it a climate-smart practice for California’s irrigated almond orchards. Professor Amelie Gaudin, Plant Sciences, UC Davis, worked with postdocs, grad students, and Cooperative Extension colleagues.