UC Davis discoveries in
food, wine and agriculture

As the world’s population grows, agricultural innovations are necessary to feed everyone. Our discoveries have made it possible to harvest more tomatoes, create heartier rice, and breed bees that help our world.

A woodcut illustration of grapes

Blazing the Way for
Chardonnay

Professor Harold Olmo developed 30 grape varieties, and his study of the chardonnay grape led to its economic viability. Chardonnay is now California’s most important wine grape variety, cultivated on nearly 100,000 acres throughout the state.

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White wine bottle and half full glass with a paint splotch in the background

Remaking Tomatoes for
Robotic Harvesters

UC Davis plant breeder Jack Hanna and engineer Coby Lorenzen teamed up in the 1950s to invent a machine that could mechanically harvest tomatoes and develop a tomato that would be tough enough to survive a harvester.

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Three fresh tomatoes with a paint splotch in the background

Hacking Rice
to be Healthier and Hardier

In the 1990s, Gurdev Khush, UC Davis professor emeritus and World Food Prize winner, characterized a wild species of rice that is resistant to a serious disease-causing microbe.

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A rice bowl filled with white rice and vegetable morsels

Breeding
Better Bees

Honeybees, especially crucial for their pollination services, are vital to agriculture and the environment, but bee breeding was largely a matter of chance until Professor Harry H. Laidlaw Jr., (1907-2003) the father of honeybee genetics, developed artificial insemination technology.

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A profile of a flying bee

Making Disease-resistant
Strawberries

UC Davis has helped improve strawberries for nearly 100 years. Today, more than 60% of the strawberries eaten around the world come from varieties developed by University of California researchers.

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Three ripe strawberries, one halved, bright red with green leaves (photograph)
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More from UC Davis

Science & Climate

UC Davis is applying its collective strengths in science, engineering, art and design to the problem of climate change and a warming planet.

An illustration of a tree

Feeding a Growing Population

Connecting our research and expertise to the effort to feed a growing population under a changing climate.

An illustration of a farmer picking a tomato

Advancing Health Worldwide

Advancing the study of medicine as a worldwide leader in human health and veterinary sciences.

Two hands grasping each other

Driven by Curiosity

Answering foundational questions about our world, showcasing research that transcends science, technology, arts and humanities, and social sciences.

An egghead illustration with its face buried in a book