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ucdavisplants.bsky.social
UCDavisPlants
@ucdavisplants.bsky.social
1.7K followers 110 following 470 posts
🌱 Discussion of all plant-related research and concepts.
UC Davis supports academic and research programs in plant sciences, plant biology, plant pathology, viticulture and agricultural engineering.

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ucdavisplants.bsky.social
🌱 From PLOS Pathogens: Salmonella reopens plant stomata by hijacking auxin biosynthesis and signaling, using both its own and the plant’s auxin production to bypass stomatal immunity. (Brianna Fochs,Zachariah Jaramillo,Ho-Wen Yang,Jirachaya Yeemin,Maeli Melotto)

▶️ journals.plos.org/plospathogen...
Salmonella enterica exploits the auxin signaling pathway to overcome stomatal immunity
Author summary Currently, there is no technology available to eliminate human bacterial pathogens from internal tissues of edible leaves. However, bacteria can penetrate the leaf through stomatal pore...
journals.plos.org
November 25, 2025 at 5:56 PM
ucdavisplants.bsky.social
🌱 From The Plant Journal: ODC2 and HT-A work together to form a pistil barrier in wild tomatoes, blocking cultivated tomato pollen and shaping unilateral incompatibility. (Xiaoqiong Qin, Sarah Ng, Elizabeth Paul, Roger T. Chetelat)

▶️ onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
#PlantScience #Genetics
(a) Compatibility (C) or incompatibility (I) with pollen of Solanum pennellii LA0716fps2. Rejection of fps2 mutant pollen was observed only on pistils of S. pennellii (all tested accessions) and some Solanum habrochaites, suggesting the ODC2-dependent pistil barrier evolved in a common ancestor, and is breaking down in S. habrochaites.
November 25, 2025 at 12:40 AM
ucdavisplants.bsky.social
🌱From eLife:Salt stress disrupts root–shoot coordination in Arabidopsis, revealing SR3G as a key gene that limits suberization and resilience. New tools uncover how plants manage ion balance and growth under stress.(Minmin Wang, Georgia Drakakaki)
▶️ pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
#PlantScience
Figure 1.. Salt stress is causing discoordination of root and shoot growth. Arabidopsis HapMap population was screened for salt stress-induced changes in root:shoot ratio. The increase in the projected area of shoot and root (Figure 1—figure supplement 2) was used to estimate (A) shoot and (B) root exponential growth rate. (C) The root:shoot growth rate ratio was calculated per genotype. The histograms represent the number of accessions across three studied conditions (0, 75, and 125 mM NaCl), whereas the population average is indicated using the dashed line. Additionally, the distribution of the genotypes within each treatment was visualized using the error plots (lower panel), where population average and standard error is indicated using a colored point and a line, respectively. Individual gray points represent individual genotypes.
November 24, 2025 at 7:06 PM
ucdavisplants.bsky.social
🌱 From Field Crops Research: Global analysis shows nitrogen efficiency in cereals improves when both synthetic and natural N sources are considered, revealing lower true N losses and highlighting soil-driven N supply. (Jagdish Kumar Ladha)
▶️ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#PlantScience
Fig. 2. Map showing locations of studies used in the analysis. Circle size represents number of observations in each location.
November 21, 2025 at 5:53 PM
ucdavisplants.bsky.social
🤖 From Computers and Electronics in Agriculture: Vision-based learning let UAVs navigate orchard rows using only RGB imagery, reducing interventions and outperforming existing methods while generalizing to new sites. (Peng Wei, Stavros G. Vougioukas)
▶️ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Fig. 4. System architecture diagram during training and deployment.
November 20, 2025 at 6:30 PM
ucdavisplants.bsky.social
🌱 From Frontiers in Horticulture: Basil grown in aquaponics performed well with moderate walnut or pistachio shell substrates, showing these local by-products can replace part of coconut coir in sustainable media. (Alharith Alghaithy, Irwin R. Donis-Gonzalez)
▶️ www.frontiersin.org/journals/hor...
Frontiers | Suitability of walnut and pistachio shells as soilless substrates for producing Genovese basil in aquaponic systems
IntroductionThe use of agricultural by-products, such as walnut and pistachio shells, is emerging as a sustainable substrate alternative to conventional subs...
www.frontiersin.org
November 19, 2025 at 5:23 PM
ucdavisplants.bsky.social
🍇 From Genome Biology: Grapevine clones show stable, inherited methylation across centuries. A phased genome framework reveals long-term epigenetic patterns in Cabernet lineages. (Noé Cochetel, Amanda M. Vondras, Rosa Figueroa-Balderas, Dario Cantu)
▶️ link.springer.com/article/10.1...
#PlantScience
Phased epigenomics and methylation inheritance in a historical Vitis vinifera hybrid - Genome Biology
Background Epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation, regulate transcription and influence key biological traits. While many efforts were made to understand their stability in annual crops, th...
link.springer.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Reposted by UCDavisPlants
ucdavisnews.bsky.social
Why Is Federally Funded Research So Important? UC Davis VC for Research Simon Atkinson explains @ucdavisresearch.bsky.social www.ucdavis.edu/magazine/why...
Why Is Federally Funded Research So Important?
America’s lucrative, long-running investment in basic science and research is under threat, and the consequences could be far-reaching for local and national economies and for the United States’ leade...
www.ucdavis.edu
November 17, 2025 at 8:12 PM
ucdavisplants.bsky.social
🍇 From Plant Phenomics: Multi-trait spectral modeling improved predictions of grapevine leaf nutrients, offering a more accurate vineyard monitoring. (Parastoo Farajpoor, Alireza Pourreza, Mohammadreza Narimani, Matthew W. Fidelibus)
▶️ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#PlantScience #Viticulture
Multi-Trait Spectral Modeling for Estimating Grapevine Leaf Traits and Nutrients
Analysis of leaf hemispherical radiative properties for retrieval of its biochemical and mineral nutrients could lead to a powerful monitoring approac…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 17, 2025 at 5:37 PM
ucdavisplants.bsky.social
🌱 From Agronomy for Sustainable Development: Super-high-density olives can thrive with less synthetic nitrogen, while compost boosts fertilizer uptake and supports more sustainable production. (Andrew J. Curtright, Savannah M. Haas)

▶️ link.springer.com/article/10.1...
#PlantScience #Sustainability
Compost application and reduced synthetic nitrogen fertilization promote sustainable olive production in super-high-density orchards - Agronomy for Sustainable Development
As a high-value crop, olives are widely cultivated in Mediterranean-climate regions, including California. However, appropriate nitrogen (N) fertilization and nutrient management are required for the ...
link.springer.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:52 PM
ucdavisplants.bsky.social
🌱 From PNAS: Meristem layers mutate at different rates, with the germline-forming L2 protected and the L1 evolving faster. (Kirk R. Amundson, Mohan P. A. Marimuthu, Oanh Nguyen, Konsam Sarika, Isabelle J. DeMarco, Angelina Phan, Isabelle M. Henry, and Luca Comai)
▶️ www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Spatial variation in the mutation rate within the plant shoot apical meristem | PNAS
The potential impact of new mutations on organismal function and evolution depends on the developmental fate of the affected cells. Stem cells in t...
www.pnas.org
November 13, 2025 at 5:36 PM
ucdavisplants.bsky.social
🍇 From Journal of Plant Physiology: Grapevines adapt to drought type: under gradual stress, they “procrastinate,” delaying defense, while rapid drying triggers fast ABA-driven escape responses. (J. Orozco, M.A. Zwieniecki)
▶️ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#PlantScience #Viticulture
Fig. 1. – Scheme of the experimental setup. Gradual reduction of water provided under progressive drought (PD; water-green) treatment started on day 0. To achieve rapid drought (RD; grey), irrigation on the selected group of grapevines was interrupted from day 27; before that date, plants were watered up to pot capacity as controls. The yellow square represents control plants maintained at well-watered conditions throughout the whole duration of the experiment. (For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)
November 12, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Reposted by UCDavisPlants
ashs-hort.bsky.social
‘UC Golden Gate’ and ‘UC Keystone’ are fusarium wilt-resistant strawberry cultivars that deliver high yields of large, firm, long-shelf-life fruit.
#HortScience https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI18849-25
#plantscience #strawberry
UCDavisPlants
Changes in the visual appearance of fruit of long-shelf-life cultivars in cold storage. ‘UC Golden Gate’, ‘UC Keystone’, and ‘Monterey’ fruit were stored in the dark at 4 °C for 0, 7, and 14 d postharvest.
November 11, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Reposted by UCDavisPlants
ucdavis.bsky.social
A lone Jeffrey pine found over 12,000 feet up a Sierra peak sparked a 240-mile trek by UC Davis scientists to study how a bird’s seed and a single tree reveal the impacts of climate change, and why fieldwork still matters in understanding our changing world. Read more: ucdav.is/4oXjDaK
Three researchers in hiking gear examine a small tree on a rocky mountainside in the Sierra Nevada, surrounded by granite boulders and sparse pine trees.
November 10, 2025 at 6:17 PM
ucdavisplants.bsky.social
🌱 From Nature Scientific Reports: Researchers identified four rice quantitative trait loci (QTLs) linked to salt tolerance, revealing key roles for ubiquitination and hormone signaling in stress adaptation. (Isabelle M. Henry, Luca Comai)
▶️ www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#PlantScience #PlantBiology
F2 bulk segregant analysis reveals salt-tolerant QTLs related to the ubiquitination process - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - F2 bulk segregant analysis reveals salt-tolerant QTLs related to the ubiquitination process
www.nature.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:01 PM
ucdavisplants.bsky.social
🚜 From Journal of Agricultural Safety Health: As robotics reshape farm work, researchers call for urgent study of human–machine safety, event tracking, and collaboration to protect agricultural workers. (Farzaneh Khorsandi)
▶️ pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40794928/
#AgEngineering #Agriculture
Figure 1. Autonomous tractor (www.monarchtractor.com) (left) and autonomous sprayer (www.gussag.com) (right).
November 6, 2025 at 5:15 PM
ucdavisplants.bsky.social
From Nature Sustainability: Water prices in California’s surface markets spike during drought but stay stable in groundwater markets, showing storage is key to climate resilience.
(Colin A. Carter, Bulat Gafarov, Jens Hilscher, Katrina Jessoe)
▶️ www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#Climate #Drought
Price sensitivity to precipitation and water storage in California - Nature Sustainability
This study examines the relationship between water inventories and price dynamics in California’s surface and groundwater markets over 2010–2022 and shows that price fluctuations in surface water mark...
www.nature.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:52 PM
ucdavisplants.bsky.social
🌱From Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment: Managed cattle grazing can suppress invasive grasses and boost native plant diversity, offering a sustainable tool for restoring tropical grasslands. (Bruna H. Campos, Jennifer L. Funk)
▶️ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#RangelandScience
Fig. 1. Detailed representation of the experimental design and grazing regime during the observation period. Cow icon sourced from Flaticon.com.
November 4, 2025 at 5:59 PM
ucdavisplants.bsky.social
🌾From Apomixis: Researchers have engineered rice plants that clone themselves from seed, preserving hybrid vigor across generations, a major step toward true synthetic apomixis. (Imtiyaz Khanday, Venkatesan Sundaresan)

▶️ link.springer.com/protocol/10....
#PlantScience #Agriculture
Examples of chromatogram interpretations for mutations in OsSPO11-1, PAIR1, OsREC8, and OsOSD1. (Ho = homozygous mutations; Bi = biallelic mutations)
November 3, 2025 at 6:16 PM
ucdavisplants.bsky.social
🌱 From International Journal of Remote Sensing: Remote sensing models can capture daily evapotranspiration, but their accuracy falters across the diurnal cycle, revealing key model and data limitations. (Andrew J. McElrone)
▶️ www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
#RemoteSensing #PlantScience
Modelling the diurnal cycle of evapotranspiration using remote sensing models – are we there yet?
The diurnal cycle of Evapotranspiration (ET) can provide important clues about the functioning of vegetation. However, the Remote Sensing (RS) based ET models, especially the ones that use Land Sur...
www.tandfonline.com
October 31, 2025 at 4:33 PM
ucdavisplants.bsky.social
From Postharvest Biology and Technology: Chitosan coatings effectively suppress citrus molds, including fungicide-resistant strains, extending orange shelf life and offering a sustainable postharvest alternative. (Adrian O. Sbodio, Barbara Blanco-Ulate)
▶️ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Chitosan inhibits the growth of Penicillium digitatum and Penicillium italicum and protects oranges from green and blue mold during postharvest
Postharvest losses in oranges caused by Penicillium spp. infections are a major concern for the citrus industry worldwide. In this study, we examined …
www.sciencedirect.com
October 30, 2025 at 4:05 PM
ucdavisplants.bsky.social
🌱 From HortScience: Combining steam with quicklime improved soil pathogen control, but effects on weeds were inconsistent—highlighting the need to refine heat-based disinfestation methods. (Steven Fennimore)
▶️ journals.ashs.org/view/journal...
#WeedScience #PlantScience
(C) Posttreatment view of the microplot after plastic was removed. Soil probes were placed perpendicular to steam emitters in the wooden wedge. Type T thermocouple wires used in 2022 were placed adjacent to seed sachets.
October 29, 2025 at 5:09 PM
ucdavisplants.bsky.social
🌱From Nature Communications: A newly cloned resistance gene, Lr.ace-4A/Lr30, provides near-immunity to leaf rust in durum wheat, offering a powerful tool for future wheat breeding. (Jorge Dubcovsky)
▶️ www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#PlantScience
Genome-assisted identification of wheat leaf rust resistance gene Lr.ace-4A/Lr30 - Nature Communications
Leaf rust threatens wheat production worldwide. Here, the authors report a high-quality genome assembly of the leaf rust resistant durum wheat landrace PI 192051 and the cloning of the leaf rust resis...
www.nature.com
October 28, 2025 at 5:48 PM
ucdavisplants.bsky.social
🌳From Urban Forestry & Urban Greening: California schools lost 1.8% of tree canopy between 2018–2022, with 85% of campuses seeing declines. Losses were greatest in heat-stressed regions.(Luisa Velasquez-Camacho,Moreen Willaredt, Pooja Singh, Alessandro Ossola)
▶️ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Fig. 2. Tree canopy distribution and change across urban school districts in California. A) Spatial distribution of tree canopy extent (in hectares) across urban California school districts in 2018. B) Net change in canopy cover (as a percentage) between 2018 and 2022, calculated relative to the initial canopy area in 2018. To see the results based only on the school boundaries see Supplementary Materials.
October 27, 2025 at 4:35 PM
ucdavisplants.bsky.social
🌱 From Food and Bioprocess Technology: Off-ground almond harvest cuts insect damage by 52% and reveals key drying needs tied to moisture and thermal properties at different harvest stages. (Zhaokun Ning, Ragab Khir, Zhongli Pan)
▶️ link.springer.com/article/10.1...
#PlantScience #AgEngineering
Characterization of Insect Damage, Physical and Thermal Properties of Off-Ground Harvested Almonds and Their Components as Influenced by Harvest Time - Food and Bioprocess Technology
Off-ground almond harvesting is a promising alternative to conventional on-ground methods, reducing dust, microbial contamination, and insect damage. However, the high moisture content (MC) in off-gro...
link.springer.com
October 27, 2025 at 4:08 PM