Of the major food crops, only rice is currently able to survive flooding. Thanks to new research, that could soon change -- good news for a world in which rains are increasing in both frequency and intensity. The research, published today in Science, studied how other crops compare to rice when submerged in water. It...

UC Riverside scientists have decoded the genome of black-eyed peas, offering hope for feeding Earth’s expanding population, especially as the climate changes. Understanding the genes responsible for the peas’ drought and heat tolerance eventually could help make other crops tougher too. Black-eyed peas are small beans with dark midsections. They’ve been a global dietary staple...

Despite how essential plants are for life on Earth, little is known about how parts of plant cells orchestrate growth and greening. By creating mutant plants, UC Riverside researchers have uncovered a cellular communication pathway sought by scientists for decades. Both plants and humans have specialized light-sensitive proteins. In humans these proteins reside in the...

The University of California, Riverside announced today a $3.5 million donation from Givaudan to support UCR’s Citrus Variety Collection. The gift will help protect one of world’s most extensive citrus diversity collections from the impending threat of citrus greening disease, also known as Huanglongbing, or HLB. The gift will pay for a 2.8-acre protective screened...

A team of researchers, including two from the University of California, Riverside, has identified the genes responsible for the hallmark sour taste of many citrus fruits. Published Tuesday, Feb. 25 in Nature Communications, the research could help plant breeders develop new, sweeter varieties. Modern citrus varieties have been bred over thousands of years to generate...