Invasive plants can stay dormant for decades before rapidly spreading, a UC Davis-led study finds. Researchers analyzed 5,700 species, with some lying dormant for up to 320 years. This lag phase makes early detection and prevention critical.
UC Davis researchers, led by Steve Fennimore, are studying robots that reduce hand-weeding costs and use steam to combat soil pathogens, improving lettuce yields and reducing chemical herbicide use in the process.
UC Davis researchers discovered genes in strawberries resistant to Fusarium wilt, a deadly soilborne disease. This breakthrough will protect crops, offering future cultivars with the resistance gene and helping safeguard California’s strawberry industry.
