Sustainable Agriculture Content

Integrative Center for Alternative Meat and Protein to Launch at ��Ƶ Jan. 17

Amy M Quinton — January 11, 2024 - 8:30am

The ��Ƶ Integrative Center for Alternative Meat and Protein will advance plant-based, fungal-based and cultivated meat for more sustainable food choices.

Parasitic Weeds Threaten Tomato Plants on California Farms

Jocelyn C Anderson — September 26, 2023 - 8:15am

��Ƶ leads the way in sustainable agriculture, employing innovative research to combat the invasive broomrape weed threatening California's tomato industry.

Growing Crops with Less Groundwater

Amy M Quinton — April 25, 2023 - 12:08pm

Learn about ��Ƶ’ innovative approach to growing crops with less groundwater in drought-prone regions like California. Farm sustainably for a better future.

Lynda and Stewart Resnick Pledge $50M to ��Ƶ for Sustainability Research

Amy M Quinton — October 13, 2022 - 11:45am

Lynda and Stewart Resnick pledge $50M to ��Ƶ for new Center for Agricultural Innovation and sustainable agricultural research.

Agave: The New Drought-Tolerant California Crop?

Amy M Quinton — August 11, 2022 - 10:00am

��Ƶ to research whether agave plants could be a drought tolerant and sustainable crop for California, as the tequila and mezcal industry grows.

Diversifying Agriculture to Control Pest Outbreaks

Andy Fell — May 17, 2022 - 3:15pm

Newly published research led by ��Ƶ ecologist Daniel Paredes suggests that pest abundances are less variable in diverse landscapes comprised of multiple crop types and patches of natural habitat.

"As a result, pest outbreaks are less likely in diverse landscapes," said Paredes, who analyzed a 13-year government database of diversified landscapes encompassing more than 1300 olive groves and vineyards in Spain. The database documented pests and pesticide applications.

Bringing Out the Best in Wild Birds on Farms

Katherine E Kerlin — February 23, 2022 - 11:38am

A supportive environment can bring out the best in an individual — even for a bird.

After an E.coli outbreak in 2006 devastated the spinach industry, farmers were pressured to remove natural habitat to keep wildlife — and the foodborne pathogens they can sometimes carry — from visiting crops. A study published today from the ��Ƶ, Davis, shows that farms with surrounding natural habitat experience the most benefits from birds, including less crop damage and lower food-safety risks.

��Ƶ to Lead Groundwater and Irrigated Agriculture Sustainability Study

Amy M Quinton — October 18, 2021 - 9:40am

��Ƶ researchers to lead research to find ways to sustain irrigated agriculture and improve groundwater quality and quantity under a changing climate.

Coastal Grape Growers Can Use Less Water During Drought

Amy M Quinton — September 01, 2021 - 8:00am

California grape growers in coastal areas can use less water during drought and cut irrigation levels without affecting crop yields or quality, according to ��Ƶ researchers.

��Ƶ Releases 6 New Varieties of Organic Beans

Amy M Quinton — April 22, 2020 - 10:00am

Plant breeders at the ��Ƶ, Davis, are releasing six new varieties of organic beans. Field trials found that the new varieties produced high yields, and were resistant to bean common mosaic virus, a disease that prevents bean plants from maturing promptly and uniformly.

“Bean common mosaic virus is responsible for serious yield losses in beans,” said Travis Parker, a Ph.D. student in plant biology and graduate student lead for the project. “There is no cure for the virus other than breeding for genetic resistance, which is why the project is so important.”