Strawberries – luscious, beautiful and fragrant – figure in spring and summer traditions around the world. At UC Davis, the Strawberry Breeding Program is an important source for varieties that meet the needs of growers with different weather and soils, grown amid changing conditions of climate, water and market.
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.
Luscious zinnias, spectacular tomatoes and blue stone-ground wheat were among the organically grown produce on display during the 2023 SCOPE Field Day at the Student Farm at UC Davis.
UC Davis’ student-led program in organic farming will expand to include new crops and new partners, with the aim of exporting its educational the model to other institutions. The expansion is being funded with a $2-million grant from the Organic Research and Extension Initiative.
UC Davis researchers explore electrical weed control as an alternative to herbicides. The project uses a tractor equipped with an electrical generator to deliver electrical energy to weeds, damaging their cells and causing rapid death. The three-year study assesses the machine's effectiveness, its impact on crop safety, and soil health.
Rikiya Hatano, a fourth-year undergraduate in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, is the recipient of the 2023 Knowles A. Ryerson Award. Hatano, majoring in international agricultural development, envisions using agriculture as a means to empower people in rural areas, providing self-sufficiency, economic stability, and dignity.
Jennifer Baumbach, a UC Davis GSR awardee, now coordinates the Master Gardener Program in Solano and Yolo counties. The GSR award supported her research and enhanced her understanding of connecting UC research to practical applications, benefiting communities and end-users.
Leslie Roche, an associate professor of Cooperative Extension in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, specializes in the management of rangelands and pasture. She is the director of the UC Rangelands Research and Information Center, focusing on irrigated pasture management, ecology of grazing lands, grazing systems, drought, and climate change adaptation.
Whitney Brim-DeForest is the UC Cooperative Extension director in Sutter and Yuba counties and the CE rice and wild rice advisor, focusing on weed management. As a recipient of the Graduate Student Research (GSR) award from the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences during her doctoral studies, Brim-DeForest conducted research full-time while engaging with growers, pest control advisers (PCAs), and stakeholders in the rice industry.
