At a Kenya event, the African Orphan Crops Consortium planted a jackfruit tree to symbolize food security and peace. UC Davis' Allen Van Deynze and partners are breeding resilient orphan crops to help small farmers combat climate change and hunger.
Researchers have developed best practices for handling walnuts to maintain quality and prevent rancidity. Their award-winning recommendations include timely harvesting, cold storage, and using a color guide to match nuts to the best markets.
Two undergraduates in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences – Khushi Chawda and Deysi Alvaro Ceja – have been named to the Borlaug Scholars class of 2024. The National Association of Plant Breeders’ Borlaug scholarships pair students with an NAPB mentor.
Storing fresh produce correctly can save you money and time by keeping your tomatoes, grapes, broccoli and other fresh fruits and vegetables in tip-top condition for as long as possible. UC Davis’ Produce Heroes game teaches proper produce storage to reduce food waste and climate impact. Learn fridge vs. countertop tips through a fun, educational cornhole game.
UC Davis researchers, led by Gail Taylor, are studying lettuce genetics to improve shelf life and bacterial resistance. Their findings could help breed longer-lasting, more nutritious lettuce for the $3.7-billion industry.
Sorghum is an earthy, nutty, gluten-free grain that boasts remarkable drought tolerance. It also poses serious potential as a sustainable crop in a warming world.
Professor Jorge Dubcovsky and postdoc Joshua Hegarty, Plant Sciences, received a STAIR Grant to advance innovative solutions with commercial potential. They are working on breeding Triticale, a wheat and rye hybrid, which is being improved and tested for its baking quality.
The Department of Plant Sciences has released six new varieties of organic dry beans which are higher yielding, and are resistant to bean common mosaic virus (BCMV), a disease that prevents bean plants from maturing promptly and uniformly. Spearheading the project were Ph.D. candidate Travis Parker, Distinguished Professor Paul Gepts, and Charlie Brummer, professor and director of the Plant Breeding Center at UC Davis.
A new study led by researchers at the University of California, Davis, suggests that photorespiration wastes little energy and instead enhances nitrate assimilation, the process that converts nitrate absorbed from the soil into protein.
