Department of Botany & Plant Sciences

Despite recent, torrential rains, most of Southern California remains in a drought. Accordingly, many residents plant trees prized for drought tolerance, but a new UC Riverside-led study shows these trees lose this tolerance once they’re watered. One goal of the...

A global cross-disciplinary team of scientists has developed the first comprehensive classification of the world’s ecosystems across land, rivers, wetlands, and seas. The ecosystem typology will enable more coordinated and effective biodiversity conservation, critical for human well-being. Distinguished Professor Emerita...

Though it is disappearing, California’s official state grass has the ability to live for 100 years or more. New research demonstrates that sheep and cattle can help it achieve that longevity. Purple needlegrass once dominated the state’s grasslands, serving as...

The cheerleader for Public Enemy No. 1 greeted me at the gates to UC Riverside’s Agricultural Experiment Station with a smile and some choice words. “Every time there’s a serious drought, I’m in the L.A. Times,” Jim Baird said, only...

Approximately 70 high school students who are considering careers in STEM, or science, technology, engineering, and math, industries spent three days at the UC Riverside campus engaging with industry experts and other teens from surrounding Riverside and San Bernardino County...

Scientists have modified proteins involved in plants’ natural response to stress, making them the basis of innovative tests for multiple chemicals, including banned pesticides and deadly, synthetic cannabinoids. During drought, plants produce ABA, a hormone that helps them hold on...

Plants — they’re just like us, with unique techniques for handling stress. To save one of the most important crops on Earth from extreme climate swings, scientists are mapping out plants’ own stress-busting strategies. A UC Riverside-led team has learned...

The worst fire impacts this year are predicted to hit Northern California’s higher elevation forests and Southern California’s chaparral-clad mountainous National Forest lands. To aid recovery, UC Riverside ecologists are collaborating with the US Forest Service to target these spots...

Scientists at UC Riverside have a shot at eradicating a deadly threat to vineyards posed by the glassy-winged sharpshooter, just as its resistance to insecticide has been growing. When the half-inch-long flying insect feeds on grapevines, it transmits bacteria that...

Claire Whitaker loves fresh fruit. That’s why the botany and plant sciences doctoral student has spent the last three years researching how to prevent gray, fuzzy fungus from consuming fruits such as strawberries. That same passion is what garnered her...