Generous supporters help make our future bright   As the year draws to a close, I want to share how proud I am of the faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. The future of our college is bright and each of us plays an integral part. Our historic successes position us well to address the challenges facing our communities, our agricultural lands and the natural world. With the generosity of our supporters, we continue to grow our capacity to teach students, conduct research and reach out to our diverse state.

HLB causes Florida to fall behind California in citrus production   For the first time in 70 years, California has surpassed Florida in citrus production. Florida groves have been decimated by a disease called huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening disease, that threatens citrus production in California, too.

“HLB is not just bad for farmers and the economy,” said Professor Carolyn Slupsky, a biochemist and nutritionist with the University of California, Davis. “The loss of fresh oranges and other citrus is a real possibility and that would seriously impact our health.”

Funds Support Drought-Resistant Rice and Energy-Efficient Food-Drying Research  

The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research has awarded more than $1.7 million to University of California, Davis, researchers to identify genes responsible for drought tolerance in rice and test a new energy-efficient food-drying process.

Blogs on Polar Bears and Sea Ice Reveal Dangerous Gap Between Climate-Change Facts and Opinions

 

Human-caused global warming is accepted by leading scientific organizations around the world, but public opinion about humanity’s role fails to keep pace with these consensus views. Internet blogs contribute to this gap by casting doubt on iconic climate science topics, such as polar bears and sea ice extent, setting them up as “keystone dominoes” to topple scientific understanding.

Six CA&ES professors among those accepted into Faculty Leadership Academy  

Human ecology professors Amanda Guyer, Jonathan London and Michael Rios, as well as nutrition professor Fawaz George Haj and plant sciences professors Andrew Latimer and Astrid Volder, have been accepted into the Faculty Leadership Academy.

The program builds leadership skills in tenured UC Davis faculty, enabling them to take on increasingly responsible roles in their units, departments, the college and the campus.

Aggie grad finds heartfelt way to remember friend and fellow student athlete

 

DeWayne Quinn and David Camboia (’92) met playing defense for the Aggie football team more than 25 years ago.

“We became even better friends after college,” Quinn said. “We both liked to snowboard and began traveling to different places together. We would go everywhere. We spent a lot of time riding in Canada and at Lake Tahoe, where we both had season passes.”

Effects on Agriculture Cost up to $8.50 for Every Ton of CO2 Emitted, Updated Estimates Show  

The “social cost of carbon” — an influential figure used by policymakers to weigh the value of efforts that reduce greenhouse gas emissions — is outdated and underestimated. Updated estimates focused on the agricultural sector alone more than double the social cost of carbon, according to analysis from the University of California, Davis, and Purdue University.

Scientists help clarify labels and shore up supply  

Seafood is low in fat, high in protein, and a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids, which doctors say can boost brain development and help prevent ailments like depression, arthritis, and heart disease.

Health benefits are one reason people are eating more fish. The United Nations reports that global per capita fish consumption has hit a record high and continues to climb.

Can fisheries sustainably keep up with rising demand? What is “sustainable seafood” anyway?

Humans may have improved grapes long before they cultivated them About 22,000 years ago, as the ice sheets that consumed much of North America and Europe began retreating, humans started to eat a fruit that today brings joy to millions of wine drinkers around the world: grapes.

That’s what UC Irvine evolutionary biologist Brandon Gaut and UC Davis plant biologist Dario Cantu discovered in a study recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences.

UC Davis, Sudwerk Brewing Co. Launch Gunrock Lager   The University of California, Davis, a world leader in brewing science and education, is now one of the few universities nationwide to have its own branded beer. It has teamed up with Sudwerk Brewing Co. of Davis to launch a light-bodied lager called Gunrock, named after the university’s iconic mascot, a blue mustang.

The beer is on tap at Sudwerk Brewing Co., the official partner of the UC Davis Brewing Program.