Awards and rankings

From “meh” to “mmmm!!”: More pleasing plums are a few steps away

Plums on the tree can be difficult to judge for ripeness: Many of the varieties grown commercially attain their beautiful color before the fruit is mature. If harvested too soon, plums may not be sweet and flavorful, and they can develop problems in storage. But growers are wary of harvesting late: Fruit can get bruised or punctured, or even drop before harvest. All that impacts how consumers view this nutrition-packed fruit, potentially shifting the combined appearance, aroma and flavor from delight to disappointment.

Historic achievement: Five women hold endowed chairs in department

Five women in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences now hold endowed chairs, the first time in the department’s history that so many women have attained this prestigious distinction.

Faculty members Gail Taylor, Amelie Gaudin, Giulia Marino, Li Tian and Leslie Roche all have been appointed to endowed chairs in the last four years. Endowments are dedicated funds, giving researchers the freedom to explore an idea before the concept is fully worked out and ready for grant applications.

Crump aims to improve food in rural markets

People in rural regions like mountainous Nepal produce plenty of food. But before it can get to local markets and into people’s homes, much of it spoils. What’s left often has lost much of its nutritional value. Now, Amanda Crump and team are working on a way to get more nutritious food into the homes of Nepalese people

NSF Award for Monroe will push knowledge of DNA repair in plants

Grey Monroe has received a CAREER Award for the Faculty Early Career Development Program from the National Science Foundation. Monroe is an assistant professor in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences. Monroe’s award expands on his recent work making breakthroughs in our understanding of genetic mutation in plants (published in Nature). This grant provides more than $1 million over the next five years.

Honoring our retirees: Truman Young

Truman Young retired as a professor and restoration ecologist from the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences. His work has taken him to Africa and beyond, helping communities restore and manage landscapes.

Honoring our retirees: Robert Hutmacher

Robert Hutmacher retired in 2022 as professor of the University of California Cooperative Extension, based in the Department of Plant Sciences. He is also the director of the UC West Side Research and Extension Center. His research has focused on cotton, primarily in California's San Joaquin Valley and other cotton-producing states.

Honoring our retirees: Kent Bradford

Kent Bradford retired in 2019 as a distinguished professor emeritus in the Department of Plant Sciences. He was the founding director of the UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center. His research has focused on the development, maintenance and expression of seed quality.

Honoring our retirees: Heiner Lieth

Heinrich Lieth retired as a professor and University of California Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences. His work has focused on growing plants in greenhouses and similar protected structures.