SCOPE debuts new zinnias, tomatoes, wheat

Meet Clara, Shirley and Estelita. With thickly layered petals, varieties of texture and colors ranging from elegant peach to cactus orange to pastel pink, these zinnias were among the new varieties that debuted at a recent field day on the UC Davis campus.

Also featured were big, fat, yellow-orange tomatoes, plus whole-grain flour of triticale, yellow wheat and naked barley that were grown and milled on campus and made available to visitors. Local growers and foodies picked zinnias, tasted tomatoes and sampled cookies baked from locally grown whole wheat flour during the event hosted by SCOPE. That’s the Student Collaborative Organic Plant Breeding Education program, run largely by students and operated through the Department of Plant Sciences. It’s directed by Charlie Brummer, a professor in the department and director of the UC Davis Plant Breeding Center.

Over the past few years, student breeders have been selecting plants for color, shape, texture and other qualities pleasing to the eye and the palate. But they’re also looking for yield and resistance to disease and other stresses. That work is bearing beautiful fruit destined for small-scale organic farmers and local fresh markets.

Tomatoes were among the initial crops taken on by SCOPE when it started in 2015. A goal was to breed tomatoes with the beauty and flavor of heirloom varieties, but with qualities needed by farmers, distributors and grocery stores: disease resistance, plentiful yield and longer shelf life, said head tomato breeder Luis Salazar. 

During the Aug. 21 field day held at the UC Davis Student Farm, he held up his favorite: the luscious-looking, beefsteak-fruit UC Orange Creamsicle. “We really hit our target of something unique, eye-catching and colorful,” Salazar said.

SCOPE is sending seeds of different varieties of tomatoes and zinnias to be planted in other areas of California, partnering with California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and, in the near future, with the University of California, Santa Cruz.  The goal is to develop varieties that will thrive in the state’s widely varying climes.

Tempting tomatoes

Growers and restaurateurs are excited about the new varieties, too.

Out in the fields, chef Katerina Balagian, executive chef at Seasons Kitchen and Bar in downtown Davis, reached through late-season tomato vines to sample a small, purple variety – Magic Bullet – that she likes to split open onto salads or bake atop pizzas. Green tomatoes she pickles cold with rice vinegar, salt and a bit of sugar. Balagian works closely with the UC Davis Student Farm, where the SCOPE fields are located, to procure fresh, in-season, organic produce.

“In cooking, I just try to bring out the quality of the produce,” Balagian said “I like to not mask anything.”

As a graduate student, Salazar developed a tasty, disease-resistant slicing tomato. Students used marker-assisted selection, or MAS -- an advanced technique that helps researchers quickly zero in on plants with the genes controlling those qualities -- to spot candidates for cross-breeding. He’s wrapping up his doctoral studies on salinity tolerance in lettuce (with Distinguished Professor Richard Michelmore), and stepping down as lead tomato breeder for SCOPE.

Marie Klein, another doctoral student, is taking over as SCOPE’s tomato lead. Klein’s main research is working with poplar trees to develop breeding lines for aviation fuel (in the lab of Distinguished Professor Gail Taylor), but like Salazar, her work with SCOPE is a volunteer side-project that expands her knowledge.  “Tomato breeding has been a completely new field for me, and SCOPE is a great opportunity to get hands-on experience,” Klein said.

New tomatoes available for collaboration include UC Orange Creamsicle and other open-pollinated varieties, plus F1 hybrids. For information, contact scope@ucdavis.edu.

Zippy zinnias

New stars coming out of the zinnia program presented colors ranging from salmon and orange to ivory, lavender, rose, pink, yellow and even touches of green. Student breeders are aiming for novelty in color and texture, double petals, stem lengths suitable for florists, and flowers that are neither too big nor too small, said head zinnia breeder and doctoral student Will Hazzard.

Zinnias offer a great opportunity for small-scale, organic farmers to bring a high-value crop into their mix, while supporting pollinators and helping their operations grow more resilient. The SCOPE program has given Hazzard the opportunity to develop relationships with growers who have become partners in the effort to develop and test new varieties in their own fields -- growers such as Amber Villarreal, of Redhead Flowerbed in Rio Linda, and Lauren Brandy, of Pixie Dust Flower Farm in Sutter County.

Those relationships allow farmers to shape the course of the program by selecting the varieties to try out, Brandy said. “Zinnias are really making a resurgence,” Brandy added. “They do so well in our heat.”

“We both fell in love with Clara!” added Villarreal, referring to one of the new stand-out varieties. 

But in the field, Clara’s many mutations posed problems. Student breeders were ready to cut Clara from their program, Villarreal said. But when Clara finally bloomed, “we said, ‘No! It’s the most beautiful!’ It felt so good when they came and evaluated it in the field.”

Clara, Shirley, Estelita and other zinnias are now available for expanded on-farm testing. For information about getting involved, contact scope@ucdavis.edu.

“I want these flowers to be out in the world,” Hazzard said. “That’s the goal of any breeding program...I would consider that to be a real joy.” (In his main focus of study, epigenetic disorders in almonds, Hazzard work with Professor Tom Gradziel and Associate Professor Patrick J. Brown.)

For information on zinnia varieties available for farm testing -- including “cactus flower” type and pastels such as Clara, contact scope@ucdavis.edu.  

Wonderful wheat

New varieties of wheat being tested out include a variety of wheat without awns – the spiky extensions from the husk that covers every seed. That could be handy for farmers facing climate uncertainty, said SCOPE Co-coordinator Laura Roser. In good years, the wheat could be sold for milling, but in poor years, it would make suitable grain for animals, since awns can irritate and injure their skin.

“We’re trying to breed wheat for multiple purposes,” Roser said. “We’re focusing on color and protein content for bread wheat for small, organic farms and artisan bakers.

They’re especially interested in developing varietals -- think of wine, such as cabernet sauvignon -- that would be known for particular characteristics. That would contrast with commercial wheat that is milled from grain that can come from all over. “We want to promote varieties that are grown locally, milled locally and sold locally,” Roser said.

Organic farmers have opportunities to test varieties that are in development, said [LCR2] [LCR3] Elmer Flores, SCOPE’s small grains research advisor. For information, contact scope@ucdavis.edu.

Super spinach

Roser gave an update on the spinach breeding efforts, both recent additions to the program. The goal is to improve overwintered spinach with breeding that will improve yield, disease tolerance, color, flavor and texture.

On campus, they’re planting savoy spinach, a crinkly leafed type, and smooth, bunching types, Roser said.

“Spinach has a complex reproductive system,” Roser explained, making it a good crop for introducing students to the variations possible.

Related links

• Organic farmers are welcome to participate in on-farm trials! For more information about new varieties being developed, to field-test varieties or to propose collaborating on a new crop, contact the SCOPE program at scope@ucdavis.edu.
• Handouts from the SCOPE Field Day, including varieties available for collaboration:
  • Tomatoes
  • Zinnias
  • Wheat and other small grains
  • More about other SCOPE breeding projects
• More about the UC Davis Plant Breeding Center