Postharvest handling | Department of Plant Sciences

Two Major NIFA Grants for Food Safety: Maeli Melotto and Barbara Blanco-Ulate, Plant Sciences

Professors Maeli Melotto and Barbara Blanco-Ulate, who work on crop-pathogen interactions, foodborne illnesses, and postharvest quality, each received funding from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to research foodborne pathogens on fruit and vegetable crops.

Food safety

In Memoriam: James Lyons, Professor Emeritus, Vegetable Crops, UC Davis

Jim Lyons, professor emeritus of Vegetable Crops (Plant Sciences) at UC Davis, passed away at age 90. His many accomplishments include serving as CA&ES associate dean, founding the UC ANR statewide IPM program, and serving as assistant director of the Agricultural Experiment Station.

Obituaries and deaths

Hellman Fellowships Arrive at Just the Right Time

Awards for UC Davis’ Hellman Fellows, Class of 2019, total $250,000. The Hellman Fellows program in its 12 years at UC Davis surpassed $3 million in total awards, given to 148 faculty. Barbara Blanco-Ulate, Department of Plant Sciences, is one of this year’s recipients.

Awards and rankings

Why is One-Third of Our Food Wasted Worldwide?

Nearly one-third of all the global food production is never eaten. We waste 30 million tons of food in the U.S. and 1.3 billion tons worldwide every year. This has huge economic, environmental and social costs. UC Davis faculty Ned Spang (Food Science and Technology) and Beth Mitcham (Plant Sciences) address the many issues that lead to food waste.

Environmental impacts

Would You Eat Ugly Produce? Beth Mitcham Explains Quality

Postharvest specialist Beth Mitcham, a faculty member in the Plant Sciences department at UC Davis, compares quality and cost of “imperfect” fruits and vegetables to store-bought produce. She notes that imperfect produce can be just as good, less expensive, and reduce food waste. VIDEO: Good Morning America.

Postharvest handling

Agricultural Innovations Help Cambodian Farmers Thrive

Small-scale farmers in Cambodia work with UC Davis’ Horticulture Innovation Lab and Royal University of Agriculture researchers to test methods for growing and selling produce. Farmers recognize that fruits and vegetables meet nutrition needs, and help lift themselves out of poverty. (Includes video)

International programs

John Labavitch, Plant Sciences Professor Emeritus at UC Davis, Passes Away

UC Davis Plant Sciences professor emeritus John Labavitch, who taught countless students about plant development, fruit ripening, and cell walls, and who was well-known and respected for his research, passed away on September 24, 2019.

Obituaries and deaths

Precooling Vegetables in California Production (video #16 of 26)

Cooling vegetables just after harvest prolongs shelf life and maintains quality. Most California vegetables are precooled before shipment using Cold air, Cold water, Ice, and/or Vacuum. Several of these were developed at UC Davis in the 1970s and 1980s in Plant Sciences, and in Biological and Agricultural Engineering.

Postharvest handling

Barbara Blanco-Ulate, UC Davis Plant Sciences, is a Hellman Fellow

Barbara Blanco-Ulate, Asst. Professor in Plant Sciences, received a Hellman Fellowship for the research “Epigenomics of Tomato Fruit Susceptibility to Fungal Disease.” The grants are awarded to early-career faculty who show academic distinction and potential. It provides extra financial support for their early research.

Awards and rankings

Breeding Crops for Enhanced Food Safety

Plant breeders and food safety experts held a conference at UC Davis to discuss issues relevant to food safety, including microbial contamination control in produce throughout the food chain (seeds, field production, pre- and postharvest, packaging, distribution, marketing). Conference chair was Professor Maeli Melotto, Plant Sciences, UC Davis.

Breeding