Department of Botany & Plant Sciences

Plants are not simply flowering earlier with climate change, as is often reported in the media. Instead, they are responding to the changing climate in more complex ways. The rates at which communities of plants are shifting their flowering times...

It has been described as a Noah’s Ark for citrus: two of every kind. Spread over 22 acres, UC Riverside’s 113-year-old Givaudan Citrus Variety Collection was founded as a place to gather and study as many citrus specimens as possible...

Imagine enjoying the sights and scents of a springtime stroll across the UC Riverside campus and through the Givaudan Citrus Variety Collection, except you’re sitting at a desk. Wearing virtual reality goggles. And inhaling artificial aromas carefully constructed to replicate...

The message at UC Riverside’s Citrus Day for the Industry event was clear: Huanglongbing poses an existential threat to California citrus growers but the defenses are holding and scientists will find better weapons. Over 200 people from the citrus industry...

Ecologist Exequiel Ezcurra Receives AAAS Science Diplomacy Award Exequiel Ezcurra, pictured at the Sea of Cortez, is honored in part for his work in service of environmental protection at the U.S.-Mexico border. | Nancy Packard-Burnett Exequiel Ezcurra, pictured at the...

In 2018, top scientists from the United States and the United Kingdom gathered in Washington, D.C. to talk about how climate change can affect terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems, often in interaction with other factors. Janet Franklin, a distinguished professor...

Research identifies possible on/off switch for plant growth New research from UC Riverside identifies a protein that controls plant growth — good news for an era in which crops can get crushed by climate change. Researchers found the protein, IRK...

UCR scientists rank among world’s most influential scholars These researchers' papers are the top 1% for citations The world’s most influential scientific researchers in 2019 include 10 current UCR scholars. In its annual list, Clarivate Analytics names the most highly...

UC Riverside helps secure the future of food $3 million program to train tomorrow's plant scientists If you’re eating fruits, nuts, grains, or vegetables in a few years, you’ll likely owe a debt of gratitude to UC Riverside. The university...

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...