Solar energy institute seeks to shine by raising funds

UC Merced is focused on making solar energy more affordable and efficient, and the funds from its sponsors are allowing the institute to thrive.

New avocado rootstocks are high-performing and disease-tolerant

Rootstocks can help control Hytophthora root rot, UC Riverside scientists found.

A bold plan to reshape the Central Valley flood plain

A UC Davis graduate student leads an experiment that conservationists and government officials hope will provide scientific data to help guide a sweeping transformation of riverfront lands throughout the Central Valley.

Can 'carbon ranching' offset emissions in California?

A UC Berkeley scientist measures greenhouse gases coming up out of the peat-rich soil. She is looking for ways to reduce those gases, and that could create offsets that farmers and ranchers could sell to businesses trying to reduce their carbon footprint.

Climate change has vintners rethinking grapes

A UC Davis grape breeder says some grapes would do better in warmer temperatures, but growing and marketing new varieties is a big investment.

Why your tomato has no flavor

UC Davis researchers have found that the genetic trait breeders prize for making tomatoes also contribute to making them less sweet.

New Hopland building integrates nature with function

Woodpecker-friendly siding harvested from a UC-managed forest and posts salvaged from a century-old mill are among the many 'green' features at a new UC facility currently under construction in Mendocino County.

Group encourages farming efficiency

Hoping to encourage the use of conservation practices, UC has launched an organization that could potentially save farmers time and money, and reduce their impact on the environment.

Beer or sugar water? For flies, the choice is pale ale

Scientists at UC Riverside think they have figured out why flies like beer. That may sound a bit trivial, but in fact it could lead to new ways of combating plant and animal pests.

UC Santa Cruz gets $2.6 million federal grant

UC Santa Cruz received a major grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to promote research into organic agriculture.

Report: nitrate contamination spreading

Nitrate contamination of drinking water is a pervasive problem in California's agricultural heartland and is bound to intensify in the coming years, according to a UC Davis study.

Fused genes tackle deadly disease in grapevines

A gene fusion research project led by a UC Davis plant scientist targets Pierce's disease, a deadly threat to California's wine industry.

Wasps combat Asian citrus psyllid

UC Riverside researchers released a natural enemy of a bug that has been infesting citrus trees throughout California in hopes of protecting the state's $1.1 billion citrus industry.

UC Davis Olive Center is a research leader

The center opened in 2008 to "do for olives and olive oil what UC Davis did for wine."

Useless grass could become the next biofuel

A UC Berkeley biologist has transferred a gene from a variety of corn into a widespread, fast-growing species of the grass, and transformed it into what could become an important source of biofuel.