Our People

CHAIR

Volder, Astrid (530) 752-8527 | https://volder.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/
Plant root systems, plant health, water use and quality, climate change, ecosystems, environment and natural resources, food systems, land use, sustainability, trees and forestry, urban issues

ANIMAL BIOLOGY

Cheng, Hao   |  gtlcheng@ucdavis.edu
Research Interests: Development of statistical methods and computational algorithms for quantitative and statistical genetics, including genomic prediction and genome-wide association studies. Development of software tools for whole-genome analyses. Statistical models for –omic data.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLICY

Hijmans, Robert  (530) 752-6555  |  rhijmans@ucdavis.edu
Spatial and temporal dynamics of crop production.

LAND, AIR & WATER RESOURCES

Horwath, William R.  (530) 754-6029 –  wrhorwath@ucdavis.edu
Roles of soil organic matter in global climate change and soil C sequestation; soil fertility and sustainability of managed and natural ecosystems; carbon and nitrogen cycling processes, soil organic matter dynamics and microbial-plant interactions using stable isotopes.

Jin, Yufang  (530) 219-4429 –  yujin@ucdavis.edu
Remote sensing of terrestrial ecosystems, crop monitoring and precision agriculture, fire disturbances, ecohydrology, climate-vegetation-humans interactions, biogeochemical cycles, fire and vegetation management, Geographic Information Systems.

Nocco, Mallika A.  –  manocco@ucdavis.edu
Soil-plant-water relations; irrigation management; water productivity; precision agriculture; drought/salinity stress management; feedbacks between irrigation and climate; lysimetry; agroecosystem modeling; water conservation; science communication and extension.

Paw U, Kyaw Tha  –  ktpawu@ucdavis.edu
Biometeorology, micrometeorology, evapotranspiration, turbulence, aerosol physics, and boundary layer meteorology.

Scow, Kate M.  (530) 752-4632 –  kmscow@ucdavis.edu
Microbial ecology; biodegradation of organic pollutants; bioremediation of contaminated soil and groundwater; waste treatment; agroecology; rhizosphere ecology; root-microbe interactions, nutrient cycling; soil microbiology.

Suvocarev, Kosana  (530) 752-4628 –  ksuvocarev@ucdavis.edu
Evapotranspiration, crop coefficients, GHG emissions, soil-plant-atmosphere interaction and flux exchange, eddy covariance, surface renewal, sap flow, irrigated agriculture, rice agriculture, climate-smart agriculture, water resources, biogeosciences.

PLANT BIOLOGY

Comai, Luca  (530) 752-8485 –  lcomai@ucdavis.edu
The Comai lab studies genetics and function of plant chromosomes. We are interested in mechanisms through which plants attain genome stability and in their manipulation for efficient genome engineering. Within these overarching objectives, we investigate structure of polyploid genomes, haploid induction and uniparental genome elimination, and sex determination. Our systems include arabidopsis, potato, mint, camelina, poplar, and persimmon.

PLANT PATHOLOGY

Cook, Douglas R.  (530) 754-6561  –  drcook@ucdavis.edu
Current research spans model and crop legume systems, with a dual focus on (1) genomics, genetics, biochemistry and cell biology to characterize genes (plants and microbes) governing both pathogenic and beneficial plant-microbe interactions, and (2) ecological genomics and association genetics to understand gene function in complex natural and agricultural legume systems.

PLANT SCIENCES

Al-Khatib, Kassim  (530) 750-1249 or 752-9160  –  kalkhatib@ucdavis.edu
Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program
Weed Science -- integrated weed management, vegetation management, and pesticide drift

Bailey, Brian  (530) 752-7478   –  bnbailey@ucdavis.edu
Plant and crop modeling; environmental biophysics; transport processes in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum.

Beckles, Diane M.  (530) 754-4779   –  dmbeckles@ucdavis.edu
Genetic and biochemical mechanisms controlling carbon allocation in crop plants.

Bennett, Alan B.  (530) 752-1411   –  abbennett@ucdavis.edu
Molecular biology of tomato fruit development and ripening; cell wall disassembly; intellectual property rights in agriculture.

Blanco-Ulate, Barbara  (530) 752-9096  –  bblanco@ucdavis.edu
Systems biology of fruit ripening, fruit-pathogen interactions, and postharvest quality.

Bloom, Arnold J.  (530) 752-1743   –  ajbloom@ucdavis.edu
Nutrient acquisition and carbon assimilation in relation to environmental stress; mechanisms of nitrogen uptake and assimilation.

Blumwald, Eduardo  (530) 752-4640   –  eblumwald@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Cellular and molecular bases of adaptation of plants to biotic and abiotic stress; the molecular bases of fruit quality.

Bradford, Kent J.  (530) 752-6087  –  kjbradford@ucdavis.edu   (not accepting students)
Development, maintenance, and expression of seed quality; plant water relations; developmental and growth regulation.

Brown, Pat J.  (530) 752-4288 –  pjbrown@ucdavis.edu
Breeding and genetics of walnut, pistachio, and other tree crops; genomic selection; genetic control of phenology, dormancy, and chill accumulation in perennials; salinity tolerance; evolution of plant mating systems.

Brown, Patrick H.  (530) 752-0929 –  phbrown@ucdavis.edu
Mineral nutrition of deciduous fruit and nut crops.  Sustainable agriculture.

Brummer, E. Charles  (530) 752-9261 –  ecbrummer@ucdavis.edu
Breeding, genetics, and genomics of alfalfa and other forage crops; germplasm and cultivar evaluation and development; traits of interest include yield, autumn dormancy, tolerance to drought, salinity, and grazing, and others.

Buckley, Thomas  (530) 752-0320  –  tnbuckley@ucdavis.edu
Ecophysiology of plant water stress, biology of transpiration, plant water relations, stomatal biology, photosynthetic resource economics, direct phenotyping technologies, theoretical ecophysiology, mathematical biology.

Chetelat, Roger T.  (530) 752-6726 or 754-8647  –  trchetelat@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Molecular and classical genetics of tomato; wide hybridization and interspecific incompatibility; use of molecular markers in breeding; germplasm conservation.

Crisosto, Carlos H.  (530) 752-7549  –  chcrisosto@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Postharvest biology and technology of fruit; fruit quality and safety; understanding the orchard factors and postharvest factors that control fruit flavor and shelf life; developing technology to overcome fruit industry problems; applying genomic techniques to identify gene(s) responsible for fruit sensory attributes (both desirable and undesirable), and investigating physiological disorders such as chilling injury.

Dandekar, Abhaya M.  (530) 752-7784  –  amdandekar@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Transfer, expression and regulation of foreign genes in fruit and nut crops. Metabolic regulation and the cellular and molecular response of plants to environmental stress.

Diepenbrock, Christine  (530) 754-0666  –  chdiepenbrock@ucdavis.edu
Understanding and improving crop nutritional quality and abiotic stress tolerance.

Dubcovsky, Jorge  (530) 752-5159  –  jdubcovsky@ucdavis.edu
Wheat molecular genetics, genomics and breeding. Main interests are genes affecting flowering time, senescence, and frost tolerance.

Feldmann, Mitchell  (805) 807 - 5376  –  mjfeldmann@ucdavis.edu
Genetic solutions to the challenges facing the strawberry industry using a combination of genomics & computational biology, phenomics & quantitative genetics, and plant pathology & plant molecular biology. Plant productivity, fruit quality, disease resistance, and photoperiodism to deliver strawberry varieties with improved horticultural and economic traits in strawberries.

Fennimore, Steven A.  (408) 755-2896  –  safennimore@ucdavis.edu
Weed management in vegetable crops and small fruits, as well as weed seed physiology and seed bank ecology.

Ferguson, Louise  (530) 752-0507 –  lferguson@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Production of pistachios, olives, citrus, figs, and persimmons; alternate bearing, pruning and rootstock evaluation; boron nutrition of pistachios; evaluation of citrus rootstocks for grapefruits and Mandarins; introduction of Mandarins, nitrogen fertigation; olive water use; fig cultivar and caprifig breeding; persimmon thinning.

Funk, Jennifer  –  funk@ucdavis.edu
Plant physiological and community ecology, with a focus on biological invasions and ecological restoration; how plant traits drive ecological processes, such as invasion, community assembly, and nutrient cycling - specifically, focuses on 1) linking intra- and interspecific variation in biochemical and physiological traits to ecological processes, and 2) using plant traits to improve invasive species control and ecological restoration programs

Gaudin, Amelie  (530) 752-1212  –  agaudin@ucdavis.edu
Agroecological approaches to enhance cropping system resilience to climate change. Explore consequences of domestication and breeding on root architecture and ecology, implication for agroecosystem sustainability.

Gepts, Paul L.  (530) 752-7743  –  plgepts@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Genetics of food legumes: crop evolution, genetic conservation, genomics, molecular evolution; use of information technology in teaching.  Language abilities: spoken and written fluency in French, Flemish (Dutch), Spanish; some spoken German.  Conducted research/taught in Latin America (Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina), Africa (Malawi), Europe (Belgium, Germany, France).

Gilbert, Matthew E.  (530) 752-7846  –  megilbert@ucdavis.edu
Physiological control over crop water use efficiency through stomatal and photosynthetic mechanisms; C3 and C4 crop physiological responses to water stress.

Gradziel, Thomas M.  (530) 752-1575  –  tmgradziel@ucdavis.edu
Genetics of Prunus species; plant breeding.

Hanson, Bradley D.  (530) 752-8115  –  bhanson@ucdavis.edu
Perennial crop nursery fumigation and herbicides; evaluation and management of herbicide-resistant weeds; chemical and non-chemical weed management in orchards and vineyards; enhancing integrated pest management through a better understanding of weed ecology.

Jasieniuk, Marie A.  (530) 752-8166  –  mjasien@ucdavis.edu
Ecological genetics and evolution of agricultural weeds and invasive plants of natural systems.

Jiang, Cai-Zhong  (530) 752-7060  –  cjiang@ucdavis.edu or caizhong.jiang@ars.usda.gov
Postharvest biology and technology of floricultural/ornamental crops, developing sustainable postharvest systems that enhance productivity while reducing losses due to postharvest disease or longevity issues; molecular basis of plant senescence and abscission; effect of environmental factors, such as water, temperature and diseases, on the performance of ornamental crops. Research Plant Physiologist with USDA-ARS and Adjunct Professor.

Kaffka, S.  (530) 752-8108  –  srkaffka@ucdavis.edu
Investigates ways to improve crop production efficiency and environmental quality relative to crop production; works at the commodity and farming systems levels.

Khalsa, Sat Darshan  (707) 205-7007  –  dskhalsa@ucdavis.edu
My research focuses on nutrient cycling and management in tree crops integrating plant, soil, and social sciences. I am interested in the use of organic matter amendments in orchards, the utilization of nitrogen stabilizers in fertigation systems, remote sensing of tree physiology and nutrient status, and grower barriers to adoption of conservation practices. I work broadly on projects related to environmental quality, agronomy, and adaptive management. In addition to my research in the field, I am the leader of a statewide effort to train certified crop advisors in nitrogen management where I explore other interests related to agricultural education and adult learning.

Khanday, Imtiyaz  (530) 752-0920  –  khanday@ucdavis.edu
Molecular and genetic bases of seed development, engineering of clonal seeds through synthetic apomixis, and use of biotechnology to create high-vigor seeds.

Knapp, Steven J.  (530) 752-6884  –  sjknapp@ucdavis.edu
Breeding and genetics of strawberry, genomics-enabled breeding, genomic selection, biodiversity and germplasm conservation, exotic germplasm utilization, quantitative genetics, and heterosis and hybrid crop breeding. Our research focuses on disease resistance, fruit quality, yield, photoperiodism, and other phenotypes of horticultural and economic importance in strawberry.

Laca, Emilio A.  (530) 754-4083  –  ealaca@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Foraging behavior, range management, spatial heterogeneity and geostatistical applications; agricultural ecologist.

Lampinen, Bruce  (530) 752-2588  –  bdlampinen@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Integrated orchard management, with emphasis on almonds and walnuts; current projects include regional variety trials, rootstock trials, and canopy management research.

Lieth, J. Heinrich.  (530) 752-7198  –  jhlieth@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Greenhouse and nursery crop ecology; development of models and production tools for Easter lily, rose, chrysanthemum, and other ornamental crops; greenhouse environment control automation; automated irrigation.

Linquist, Bruce  (530) 752-3125  –  balinquist@ucdavis.edu
Sustainable management of rice systems - in particular fertility management, nutrient and carbon cycling, water use, water quality, and greenhouse gas emissions.

Lundy, Mark  (530) 902-7295  –  melundy@udavis.edu
Agronomy, sustainable intensification, cropping systems analysis, input use efficiency, integrating technology and data into production practices, disease and pest management.

Mackill, David J.  (530) 752-4940  –  djmackill@ucdavis.edu
Genetics and breeding of Cacao.

Magney, Troy  (530) 754-1557  –  tmagney@ucdavis.edu
Remote sensing, plant and environmental informatics.

Marino, Giulia  (530) 304-4509  –  giumarino@ucdavis.edu
Tree physiology in orchard systems; productivity, sustainability, and competitiveness of fruit orchard production in a changing global scenario.

Melotto, Maeli  (530) 752-1747  –  melotto@ucdavis.edu
Phyllosphere microbiology, molecular biology of plant-microbe interactions, model and crop plant pathosystems, plant defenses against human and plant pathogens, stomatal immunity, bacterial pathogenesis on plants, produce contamination with human pathogens.

Mesgaran, Mohsen  (530) 752-0852  –  mbmesgaran@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Weed biology and ecology — Ecological modeling, mating system of weeds, seed and seedbank ecology, population dynamics, remote sensing.

Michelmore, Richard W.  (530) 752-1729  –  rwmichelmore@ucdavis.edu
Lettuce genetics and breeding; classical and molecular genetics of disease resistance; plant biotechnology.

Mitcham, Beth  (530) 752-7512  –  ejmitcham@ucdavis.edu
Alternatives to postharvest chemicals for control of insects, decay and physiological disorders; fruit responses to postharvest handling systems.

Mitchell, Jeffrey P.  (559) 646-6565  –  jpmitchell@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Vegetable production; water management; agricultural ecology; crop management impacts on postharvest quality.

Oki, Lorence R.  (530) 754-4135  –  lroki@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Management of irrigation in landscapes and nurseries; effect of water quality (salinity) on plant growth; evaluating California native plants for use in landscape horticulture; introduction of plants for environmental horticulture.

Ossola, Alessandro  (530) 754-4407  –  aossola@ucdavis.edu
Urban plant sciences, including ecology, climate change, forestry, water management, urban food production, planning and design; particularly interested in applied, co-produced research and new technology to inform innovative approaches in environmental management, ecological design, horticulture, science communication and outreach.

Pittelkow, Cameron  (530) 752-0433  –  cpittelkow@ucdavis.edu
Agronomy and agroecosystems; sustainable crop production; environmental footprint; international agriculture.

Potter, Dan  (530) 754-6141  –  dpotter@ucdavis.edu
Plant systematics; taxonomy, evolution, and phylogenetic relationships of fruit crops and their wild relatives; molecular approaches to phylogeny reconstruction; ethnobotany.

Putnam, Daniel H.  (530) 752-8982  –  dhputnam@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Alfalfa and forage crops systems, alternative field crops, cellulosic energy crops, switchgrass, miscanthus, crop ecology.

Roche, Leslie  (530) 752-5583  –  maillmroche@ucdavis.edu
Rangeland ecology and management; rangeland social-ecological systems; managing for multiple agricultural and ecological outcomes on working landscapes; sustainability; grazing lands.

Runcie, Daniel  (530) 746-8829  –  deruncie@ucdavis.edu
Computational and statistical plant biology, linking crop modeling and genetics, quantitative and evolutionary genomics.

Shackel, Kenneth  (530) 752-0928  –  kashackel@ucdavis.edu
Impact of tree water status on productivity; water relations and physiological activity of fruit.

Tate, Ken  (530) 752-0750  –  kwtate@ucdavis.edu
Rangeland hydrology, water quality, nonpoint source pollution, grazing management.

Taylor, Gail  (530) 752-4362  –  gtaylor@ucdavis.edu
Leafy greens lettuce and watercress molecular breeding for quality and sustainable use of natural resources. Culinary herb physiology and water use, flavour. Genetics, genomics and sustainable development of low carbon bioenergy trees. Adaptation and plasticity in response to the changing climate using high carbon dioxide springs.

Tian, Li  (530) 752-0940  –  ltian@ucdavis.edu
Phytonutrient biochemistry and physiology; biosynthesis, accumulation and function of carotenoids and polyphenols in plants; targeted improvement of crop phytonutrient composition and content for enhanced nutritional and medicinal values.

Van Deynze, Allen  (530) 754-6444  –  avandeynze@ucdavis.edu
Biotechnology; development and application of molecular markers; development of novel traits in seed crops through biotechnology.

Volder, Astrid  (530) 752-8527  –  avolder@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Responses of root systems to stress, either in natural, agricultural or urban environments. Plant root systems, plant health, water use and quality, climate change, ecosystems, environment and natural resources, food systems, land use, sustainability, trees and forestry, urban issues.

Zhang, Xiaofei  –  xfczhang@ucdavis.edu 
Profile: Molecular genetics and breeding of small grains crops, including common wheat, durum wheat, barley, and oat. Discover genetic and physiological factors affecting biomass accumulation, grain yield, tolerance to (a)biotic stresses, and processing and nutrition quality of small grains crops. Develop and implement advanced genomics and high-throughput technologies to accelerate new variety development.

Zwieniecki, Maciej A.  (530) 752-9880  –  mzwienie@ucdavis.edu
Mass and energy transport in plants; structure and function of plant vascular network; abiotic plant stress biology; interface between plant and environment.

VITICULTURE

Bartlett, Megan  (530) 752-2048  –  mkbartlett@ucdavis.edu
Physiology of stress tolerance, plant water relations and hydraulics, plant and crop modeling, stomatal physiology, mathematical biology, and developing modeling approaches to optimize management.

Cantu, Dario  (530) 752-2929  –  dacantu@ucdavis.edu
Improvement of plant genetic resistance to diseases; fungal biology and mechanisms of pathogenicity; function and evolutionary dynamics of virulence factors; comparative genomics.

Diaz-Garcia, Luiz - diazgarcia@ucdavis.edu
Multidisciplinary grapevine breeding to provide high-quality grapes in the light of climate change.

Fidelibus, Matthew W.  (559) 646-6510  –  mwfidelibus@ucdavis.edu
Extension Viticulturist; Effect of cultural practices.

Forrestel, Elisabeth  (530) 752-1946  –  ejforrestel@ucdavis.edu
Phylogenetic and functional basis of drought and heat responses in grapes, and ways to mitigate climate change impacts in viticulture; incorporating monitoring technology in vineyards and using remote sensing data to help understand the environmental factors that most significantly affect plant growth, berry chemistry, and wine quality.

McElrone, Andrew J.  (530) 754-9763  –  ajmcelrone@ucdavis.edu
Sustainable water use in vineyards: physiological responses of grapevine roots/rootstocks to salinity, nutrients and drought; importance of aquaporins to root water uptake; development of sap flow techniques for grapevines with weighing lysimeter calibration; effects of vineyard floor management on grapevine water relations

Oberholster, Anita  (530) 754-4866  –  aoberholster@ucdavis.edu
Research focuses on the influence of both viticulture practices and environmental factors on winegrape ripening and composition and related wine quality. The emphasis is specifically on tannin and carotenoid biosynthesize. Both are important contributors to grape and wine quality; tannins contribute to mouth-feel (astringency) and bitterness, whereas carotenoids are the precursors to norisoprenoids which are important volatile compounds with a low olfactory threshold. A second research focus is investigations to determine the influence of different vinification practices on wine composition and quality.


EMERITI FACULTY

Adams, Douglas O. (Retired)  –  doadams@ucdavis.edu   (not accepting students)
Characterization of biochemical pathways and enzyme systems that influence maturation and metabolism of grapes and grapevines.  Particular emphasis is given to elucidation of pathways producing important end-products in vinifera grapes, and biochemical changes that occur in table and raisin grapes after harvest.

Berry, Alison M. (Retired)  –  amberry@ucdavis.edu   (not accepting students)
Assessment of nitrogen-fixing landscape plants; cellular and molecular studies of root and nodule development; tree architecture and tree hazards; urban ecology.

Burger, David W. (Retired)  –  dwburger@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Woody plant developmental physiology; cell and tissue culture; plant propagation; water use in container-grown nursery plants.

Cantwell, Marita I. (Retired)  –  micantwell@ucdavis.edu   (not accepting students)
Preharvest factors affecting postharvest quality; postharvest recommendations for specialty vegetables; alternatives to postharvest fungicides and quarantine fumigants; physiology and handling of lightly processed vegetables.

DeJong, Ted M. (Retired)  (530) 752-1843  –  tmdejong@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Environmental plant physiology; photosynthetic efficiency of tree crops relative to the utilization of nitrogen, water, and solar radiation.

DiTomaso, Joseph. (Retired)  –  jmditomaso@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Biology and control of invasive species, in non-crop areas, including rangeland, forests, aquatics, natural ecosystems, utilities and rights-of-way.  Species include yellow star thistle, Scotch thistle, perennial pepperweed, pampasgrass or jubata grass, and woody species in reforestation areas.

Dvorak, Jan  (Retired)  –  jdvorak@ucdavis.edu
Evolution of plant genomes and chromosomes; evolution of wheat and related species; construction of linkage maps based on molecular markers in wheat and related species in the tribe Triticeae; mechanism of the action of the Ph1 gene of wheat on crossing over between homoeologous chromosomes; molecular mechanisms of salt stress tolerance in wheat and its improvement.

Evans, Richard Y. (Retired)  –  ryevans@ucdavis.edu   (not accepting students)
Management of commercial flower and nursery crops; nutrition of ornamental plants; container soil-plant interactions; propagation, production, and field establishment of plants for ecological restoration.

Fischer, Albert J. (Deceased) 
Ecophysiology and competition of weeds in rice, ecology, herbicide-resistant weeds, integrated weed management.

Gubler, Doug. (Retired)  –  wdgubler@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Research interests include biology and epidemiology of foliar pathogens of fruit crops, with emphasis on grapevine and strawberry diseases; trees, vines and small fruits.

Harding, James A. (Retired)  –  jaharding@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Genetics and breeding of flower crops, with an emphasis on Gerbera; multivariate statistical methods; multitrait selection, inbreeding and crossbreeding; clonal selection and cultivar evaluation.

Hartz, Timothy K. (Retired)  –  tkhartz@ucdavis.edu   (not accepting students)
Culture and management of warm-season vegetables; soil and plant fertility; crop stand establishment.

Hill, James E. (Retired)  –  jehill@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Conducts research and education programs on rice based cropping systems, with focus on production technologies such as direct seeding, weed control, nutrition, residue management, and the relationship of these factors to environmental quality.

Jackson, Louise E. (Retired)  –  lejackson@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Plant/soil relationships; nitrogen cycling; agricultural ecology; management of vegetable production systems.

Jernstedt, Judy (Retired)  –  jjernstedt@ucdavis.edu
Plant anatomy and morphology, plant developmental biology; roles of cell division, enlargement and differentiation in tissue   and organ-level development; meristem determination; leaf development; systematics of chlorogalum (Liliaceae); post- harvest processing and defects of cotton fibers; cotton fiber cell wall cytochemistry.

Johnson, Scott. (Retired)  –  sjohnson@ucanr.edu  (not accepting students)
Production of plums, freestone peaches, nectarines, kiwi-fruit, apples, and Asian pears.

Lanini, W. Thomas.  (Retired)  –  wtlanini@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Low input weed control in vegetables and agronomic crops.

Matthews, Mark A. (Retired)  –  mamatthews@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Environmental control of growth, productivity, and fruit quality, emphasizing photosynthesis; biophysics of cell expansion; physiological mechanisms involved in responses to water deficits; interactions of nutrient levels and water deficits; varietal improvement.

Neale, David B.  (Retired)   –  dbneale@ucdavis.edu   (not accepting students)
Discovery and understanding of the function of genes in forest trees, especially those controlling complex traits.

O'Neill, Sharman  (Retired)   –  sdoneill@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Studies in plant development in model (Arabidopsis) and non-model (Vanilla and Phalaenopsis) systems, using developmental and imaging procedures in combination with molecular biology and genomic approaches. Current topics investigated include: (1) analysis of the role of the ATML1 homeobox gene during embryogenesis and meristem growth and development in the model system Arabidopsis, (2) flower and fruit development in the orchid of commerce, Vanilla planifolia, and Fusarium disease resistance in V. planifolia and the related species V. bahiana, and (3) pollination and post-pollination flower and fruit development in members of the Orchidaceae. Also has project that focuses on ex situ conservation of living natural species of Vanilla that can be used for vanilla fruit crop improvement.

Parfitt, Dan E.  (Retired)   –  deparfitt@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Breeding and genetics of pistachio; characterization of genetic diversity in fruit and nut tree germplasm.

Polito, Vito S.  (Retired)  –  vspolito@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Reproductive biology of fruit tree species, especially aspects of reproductive maturation, flowering, pollination and fruit-set.

Reid, Michael S. (Retired)  –  msreid@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Postharvest technology; handling and marketing of environmental plants; postharvest physiology; physiology of flowering; chilling injury; action of ethylene; molecular biology of flower senescence.

Saltveit, Mikal. (Retired)  –  mesaltveit@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Basic and applied physiological studies of abiotic stresses, primarily physical injury, temperature extremes and altered gaseous atmospheres.

St. Clair, Dina (Retired) (530) 752-1740  –  dastclair@ucdavis.edu   (not accepting students)
Tomato genetics and breeding; classical and molecular genetics in plant improvement; manipulation of quantitative traits and gene introgression.

Suslow, Trevor V.   –  tvsuslow@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Integrated biotechnologies for postharvest quality; postharvest pathology and biocontrol; microbial-based postharvest quality and safety issues; Intelligent Transportation Systems.

Temple, Steve R. (Retired)  –  srtemple@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Agronomy and host plant resistance breeding of grain legumes, sustainable farming systems; fluent in Spanish.

van Kessel, Chris. (Retired)  –  cvankessel@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Agronomy, soil fertility, nutrient cycling, cropping systems, international agriculture.

Williams, Larry E. (Retired)  –  lewilliams@ucanr.edu  (not accepting students)
Whole plant physiology, nutrition and water relations of grapevines; effects of cultural practices on vine physiology; cultural techniques of the grapevine associated with the production of raisins and table grapes; carbon assimilation by and allocation in the vine; effect of senescence on gas exchange characteristics.

Yoder, John I.  (Retired)   –  jiyoder@ucdavis.edu   (not accepting students)
Plant genomics, parasitic plants, transposable elements and genome fluidity; plant-plant communications; plant molecular genetics.


AFFILIATED FACULTY

Baumgartner, Kendra  (530) 754-7461  –  kbaumgartner@ucdavis.edu  (not accepting students)
Development of sustainable practices for managing grapevine diseases; indigenous mycorrhizal fungi in California vineyards; epidemiology of grapevine diseases; population genetics of fungal grapevine pathogens.

Steenwerth, Kerri L.   (530) 752-7535  -  kerri.steenwerth@ars.usda.gov   (not accepting students)
Sustainable vineyard management; invasive plant species and weed ecology in vineyard systems; water and nutrient-based mechanisms of plant competition; restoration of degraded soils in agriculture and natural systems; soil microbial ecology and plant - soil interactions; soil carbon stabilization and nitrogen trace gas production in agricultural systems.


Graduate Program Advisers:
    Seeds, Crop Improvement, Plant Physiology:  Dr. Kent Bradford  (530) 752-6087  –  kjbradford@ucdavis.edu
    Plant Breeding:  Dr. Charles Brummer  (530) 752-9261  -  ecbrummer@ucdavis.edu
    Plant Breeding, Viticulture:  Dr. Dario Cantu  (530) 752-2929  – dacantu@ucdavis.edu
    Pomology, Plant Physiology:  Dr. Ted DeJong  (530) 752-1843  –  tmdejong@ucdavis.edu
    Environmental Horticulture:  Dr. Richard Evans  (530) 752-6617  –  ryevans@ucdavis.edu
    Plant Genetics, Crop Evolution:  Dr. Paul Gepts  (530) 752-7743  –  plgepts@ucdavis.edu
    Plant Physiology:  Dr. Matthew Gilbert  (530) 752-7846  –  megilbert@ucdavis.edu
    Sustainable Ag, Plant Breeding:  Dr. Tom Gradziel  (530) 752-1575  –  tmgradziel@ucdavis.edu
    Weed Science:  Dr. Brad Hanson  (530) 752-8115  –  bhanson@ucdavis.edu
    Agroecology:  Dr. Bruce Linquist  (530) 752-3125  –  balinquist@ucdavis.edu
    Postharvest:  Dr. Beth Mitcham  (530) 752-7512  –  ejmitcham@ucdavis.edu
    Plant biochemistry and physiology:  Dr. Li Tian  (530) 752-0940  –  ltian@ucdavis.edu
    Plant Breeding:  Dr. Allen Van Deynze  (530) 754-6444  –  avandeynze@ucdavis.edu
    Plant Physiology, Horticulture:  Dr. Astrid Volder  (530) 752-8527  –  avolder@ucdavis.edu
    Viticulture, Plant Breeding:  Dr. Andy Walker  (530) 752-0902  –  awalker@ucdavis.edu
    Plant Physiology, Ecophysiology:  Dr. Maciej Zwieniecki  (530) 752-9880  –  mzwienie@ucdavis.edu


Faculty with (559) phone numbers are located at the Kearney Agricultural Center, 9240 South Riverbend Avenue, Parlier, CA 93648.