Planted in a corner of the UC Davis campus is a display of technologies and vegetable crops that researchers with the Horticulture Innovation Lab have been using with farmers in Africa, Asia and Central America. Led by UC ANR’s Elizabeth Mitcham in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, this program harnesses the agricultural expertise…
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For centuries, farmers have used all the colors of the rainbow to assess their orchards: The bright pink of blossoms in springtime, the vibrant green of heathy leaves, the red blush on fruit ready to harvest. However, there are wavelengths beyond what a typical human eye can see that also provide valuable information about the…
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Campus recently launched the UC Davis Women in STEM web page, https://www.ucdavis.edu/women-stem. The page includes profiles, videos, resources, and news about campus initiatives and efforts to recruit, support, and advance women in STEM fields. People across campus are welcome to share the content, as appropriate, with their key audiences. You can link to the page…
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Climate scientists from three countries have determined that the carbon reduction goals set at the Paris Agreement in 2015 are not feasible. Regardless of whether the U.S. remains part of the Paris climate accord, scientists at the University of California, Davis, are developing additional agricultural methods to offset increases in atmospheric greenhouse gases, thereby reducing…
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How do you see dryness? Solar drying is a simple way for smallholder farmers to preserve their harvest, but knowing when food is dry enough to store is complex. UC Davis researchers invented a low-cost, easy-to-use tool that farmers can use to measure food dryness, called the DryCardTM. In developing countries, mold growth on dried…
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Quick Summary: Variable weather is creating extreme challenges for crop breeding in California. How do you develop crops that will thrive under certain conditions when you can no longer predict what those conditions will be? Variable weather already affects soils, weeds, diseases and pests. Plant breeders are challenged to help crops keep pace with changes….
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Increasing wheat yield rapidly enough to meet population growth has been a challenge for wheat breeders. An international research project, headed by plant geneticist Jorge Dubcovsky, professor in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis, is using new technology to identify the wheat genes that impact yield. “Grain yield is one of the most…
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UC Cooperative Extension specialist Loren Oki and colleagues have removed important ornamental crop viral pathogens from irrigation water using nothing more than a filter made of sand. The successful attempt to rid water of tobacco mosaic virus expands the list of crop diseases that could potentially be managed using this relatively inexpensive method. “The pathogens…
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Ralph J. Hexter, acting chancellor of the University of California, Davis, announced the recipients of a new series of innovation awards. The UC Davis Chancellor’s Innovation Awards recognize faculty, community partners, and industry leaders for their work, dedication and success in achieving societal impact either through innovations in technology or social engagement. “These new awards…
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A battery of soil moisture and weather instruments on a small alfalfa field on the University of California, Davis, campus is gathering an array of information on how much water the crop needs, and when. Researchers are focused on establishing as precisely as possible crop water needs over a long season that includes numerous cuttings….
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