UC Davis researchers are leading a $3.3 million project to improve lima bean breeding. The initiative focuses on traits like heat tolerance and disease resistance and aims to develop climate-resilient varieties and create a public genetic database for breeders.
UC Davis researchers Grey Monroe and Daniela Quiroz have received a $50,000 STAIR grant to develop a tool for studying DNA repair processes. Their research aims to create faster, more efficient ways to decode histone signals, potentially advancing health and agriculture.
UC Davis researchers, led by Allen Van Deynze and Charlie Brummer, are developing spinach varieties resistant to downy mildew, with improved nitrogen efficiency and reduced cadmium uptake. Trials with over 1,700 genetic lines aim for faster, healthier growth.
A UC Davis-led project on poplar trees aims to create sustainable jet fuel using plant-based materials. The research focuses on genetic traits, artificial intelligence, and biofuel production to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and combat climate change.
A study led by UC Davis researchers shows that genetic diversity within a single species can significantly impact the survival of entire food webs. This finding has important implications for agriculture, biodiversity, and climate change adaptation.
Researchers at UC Davis are studying genes that control how quickly wheat leaves shift between sun and shade to improve photosynthesis. Faster-shifting leaves could boost carbon intake and increase wheat yields, potentially feeding more people.
UC Davis researchers and collaborators have sequenced the genomes of coast redwood and giant sequoia trees, revealing genetic traits that help these species adapt to stress, disease, and climate change, supporting conservation efforts.
Climate change creates hotter weather and drier seasons – and new challenges for farmers. With excessive heat damaging seed quality, seed producers and growers increasingly need uniform and productive crops with thermotolerance.
The Department of Plant Sciences has released six new varieties of organic dry beans which are higher yielding, and are resistant to bean common mosaic virus (BCMV), a disease that prevents bean plants from maturing promptly and uniformly.
Bioenergy crops are central to climate mitigation strategies. Bioenergy is a developing renewable resource, but it can impact land for food, and ecosystem services. Gail Taylor, Plant Sciences, received $2.52 million from the Department of Energy to develop bioenergy poplar trees for low-quality, marginal land.
