Center for Agroecology researchers, staff, and students are collaborating with UC Davis to expand their SCOPE (Student Collaborative Organic Plant Breeding Education) research to develop varieties with natural pest and disease resistance, improved flavor, and higher yield for organic farms in California and beyond.
Expanding SCOPE to other locations in California allows cultivars to be tested in locations with different conditions. This project also serves to bring the UC Davis teaching model to other institutions, including UC Santa Cruz, where plant breeding program based on the UC Davis model has been set up as part of this work.
Most food crops are developed for conventional agriculture, which assumes the use of chemicals that are largely banned under U.S. and international organic guidelines. SCOPE’s purpose is to help organic farmers be profitable by developing varieties that combine natural pest and disease resistance with great flavor and higher yield. The crops SCOPE currently is working on were chosen in consultation with organic farmers and industry leaders.
Center for Agroecology/UCSC participants: Darryl Wong, Damian Parr, Kirstin Yogg, Emily Esquivel
Funding: Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative