Home | Department of Plant Sciences

Undergraduate Programs

Plant Sciences offers three diverse majors that prepare students for a broad range of exciting post-graduate jobs or graduate school.

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Graduate Programs

Plant Sciences manages two graduate programs and is involved with eight campus graduate groups leading to Ph.D. and master's degrees.

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Research and Facilities

Our faculty works to advance, evaluate and communicate knowledge of plant sciences from lab to field, rangeland, forests, waterways and beyond.

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Outreach Programs

We partner with growers, ranchers, consumers and communities to understand regional and global needs and provide research-based solutions.

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Latest News

Dr. Ladha standing in front of an art piece

Ladha’s new book guides improved nitrogen use

by Siddharth Jasthi and Trina Kleist
November 17, 2025

As a child, Jagdish Ladha was fascinated by plants and the invisible forces that make them grow. As he got older, that early curiosity turned to the study of nitrogen and sparked a scientific career spanning more than five decades and continents.

Bushy green plants in neat, boxy-looking test plots, coming in at an angle.

Garbanzos, black-eyed peas and more beans: Productive and resilient

by Trina Kleist
November 13, 2025

Researchers at the UC Dry Bean Field Day shared progress on developing bean varieties with higher yields, larger seeds, and better drought, heat, and disease tolerance, using tools such as drones and robotics to accelerate breeding and field testing.

Close-up of a leafy green plant with a slender stem ending in a flower. A red round insect with black spots on it rests on the flower stem.

Lima beans: Sweet, bitter and fighting worms

by Trina Kleist
November 11, 2025

Scientists statewide are testing varieties of large-seeded and baby limas, both bush and vine types, for qualities that are great for consumers and for growers facing a range of conditions. Research updates were presented at the 2025 UC Dry Bean Field Day.