Plant Sciences Content

Introducing the ‘Bloom’ Cycle, or Why Plants Are Not Stupid

Andy Fell — March 02, 2026 - 10:47am

For decades, the basics of plant growth have been taught in grade-school: Plants make their food out of water from the soil, light from the sun and carbon dioxide from the air in a process called photosynthesis.

Enemy at the Stomatal Gate: How Bacteria Trick Plants Into Letting Them Pass

Andy Fell — February 17, 2026 - 4:45pm

Plants have resources, and bacteria want them. Plants have gates on their leaves to keep the thieves out. But a nasty bug called Salmonella has figured out how to trick plants into opening up their safety gates so it can sneak in and live happily inside.

When people eat those contaminated leaves, they can get sick, sometimes severely. Because the bacteria are actually inside the leaves, they cannot be removed by washing.

Grant to Expand Self-Cloning Crop Technology for Indian Farmers

Andy Fell — January 27, 2026 - 9:40am

Venkatesan Sundaresan, a Distinguished Professor of plant biology and plant sciences at the University of California, Davis, has been awarded a Gates Foundation grant to develop self-cloning crops for Indian farmers.

Breakthroughs for Preventing Pistachio Hull Split

Katherine E Kerlin — January 22, 2026 - 12:02pm

UC Davis agricultural scientists reveal how pistachio hulls are built and how their cell walls break down, lending new insight for the $2-bilion-a year pistachio industry.

Finding that Ripe Cone Sweet Spot: Looking Back to Help the Future

Katherine E Kerlin — January 21, 2026 - 10:15am

California’s wildfire seasons are becoming more intense, and the state’s public bank of seeds to help replant and reforest lands after blazes is understocked by thousands of pounds.

A new research project out of University of California, Davis, aims to help solve that problem by using decades of data from historical cone collection records to model when cones in coniferous trees from wild stands will ripen.

New Field of Ecological Medicine Emphasizes Health Benefits of Connectedness

Andy Fell — November 25, 2025 - 10:48am

Ecological medicine is a new approach to health science that draws on a very old idea: connecting with each other, with animals and plants, and with the natural world fosters health and well-being for people and the planet.

California Schools Are Losing Tree Canopy

Katherine E Kerlin — October 27, 2025 - 8:55pm

About 85% of elementary schools studied in California experienced some loss of trees between 2018 and 2022, found a UC Davis study.

How Improving Shade at California Public Schools Can Benefit Children and Communities

Katherine E Kerlin — September 05, 2025 - 10:02am

An interdisciplinary team of public health and environmental science researchers from across the University of California have found that despite efforts by the state and local school districts, many public schools fall short of providing sufficient shade, much less natural playing surfaces, for the 5.8 million children they serve — especially in an era of extreme temperatures.

Targeting Gluten: Researchers Delete Proteins in Wheat Harmful to People with Celiac Disease

Emily C Dooley — May 05, 2025 - 9:01am

A UC Davis study found that deleting a cluster of genes in wheat may reduce wheat allergies without harming breadmaking.

Shrubs Can Help or Hinder a Forest’s Recovery After Wildfire

Katherine E Kerlin — December 16, 2024 - 10:12am

When and where to plant tree seedlings restore forests after wildfires has a lot to do with shrubs, finds a UC Davis study.