Wolfskill Experimental Orchards

John Wolfskill
John Wolfskill

The land comprising the Wolfskill Experimental Orchards was deeded to the University of California in three separate parcels. Frances Wolfskill Wilson donated the original 108 acres in 1934. Frances Wolfskill Wilson donated the Wilson tract of 28 acres in 1953. The Masson tract of 20 acres was donated by Masson Land Enterprises in 1985.

Since the University acquired the Wolfskill property in 1938, most of the land has been used for plant breeding and cultivar evaluation projects. Dr. Warren Tufts, Pomology Division Chairman (1933-56), in a 1946 planning document, noted that all 100 acres at Winters were occupied by breeding programs for apricots, peaches, almonds and plums. Since 1946, many additional species have been planted, and the types of projects have diversified, but most of the land is still used for breeding programs and germplasm evaluation, development, and preservation.

In 1980 the Department of Pomology and the University of California, Davis, signed a long-term lease agreement with USDA ARS to establish the orchards of the National Clonal Germplasm Repository at Wolfskill. This repository includes stonefruit (peach, plum, nectarine, apricot, almond, prune), grape, walnut, pistachio, persimmon, walnut, olive, pomegranate, fig and kiwifruit germplasm.

Since 1980 the remaining land has been used for pomological research conducted by the faculty of the Pomology Department (now the Plant Sciences Department).

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