For the first time, plant scientists at UC Davis and UC ANR harvested an industrial hemp crop at UC locations. Working on the project are Professor Charlie Brummer, and Cooperative Extension Specialists Bob Hutmacher and Dan Putnam – all three are faculty in the Department of Plant Sciences, UC Davis.
Brassica plants, such as broccoli, produce metabolites that benefit humans (flavor, anti-cancer defenses), benefit the plant (attacking insects) and, in new research, defend against drought. Dan Kliebenstein’s lab examines drought tolerance in Arabidopsis.
UC Davis researchers have partnered with a federally compliant pharmaceutical company to analyze the chemical and biological profiles of cannabis for the benefit of law enforcement, health care providers, and scientific professionals. A Cannabis and Hemp Research Center is also being established at UC Davis.