Research conducted by the University of California (UC) is having a direct impact on farming in the state, supporting the development of new crops and more efficient agricultural practices. The partnership between UC researchers and farmers has contributed to innovations that help address challenges such as disease, drought, and resource management.
One example is the Rosy Red Valencia orange, patented in 2018 by citrus grower Nancy Lange. Lange discovered a mutated limb on one of her Valencia trees in Tulare County that produced oranges with a unique rosy blush rind and pinkish flesh. To ensure the viability and safety of this new variety, Lange worked with UC Cooperative Extension advisors at the UC Lindcove Research and Extension Center and reached out to UC Riverside’s Citrus Clonal Protection Program (CCPP). The program tests new citrus varieties for diseases such as Huanglongbing (HLB), which poses a major threat to California’s citrus industry.
“Terrible diseases like HLB [Huanglongbing, or citrus greening disease], if allowed to infect citrus nursery trees, could wipe out California citrus. The job CCPP does is critical,” said Lange.
Lange noted that without CCPP’s support, the Rosy Red Valencia would not have reached consumers. She received her patent in 2018, allowing thousands of trees to be planted and harvested. “I am grateful that this vital service is funded to allow for the growth of new varieties in California and continues to promote the innovation of the California citrus industry,” she added.
UC science continues exploring Lange’s orange through ongoing studies with institutions like UC Davis Department of Nutrition, which recently evaluated its antioxidant properties.
The collaboration between academia and agriculture extends beyond citrus. Cannon Michael, president and CEO of Bowles Farming in Merced County, highlighted how working with university scientists has helped optimize crop production across his family’s multi-generational farm. Michael credits Bill Weir, a late UC Cooperative Extension advisor known for developing a narrower cotton harvester design that increased yields significantly for local growers. Michael stated: “He really transformed nitrogen use and made some adaptations that not only saved us a lot of money but also helped with compliance and how we better use an input like nitrogen.”
Bowles Farming continues to work closely with university researchers on projects such as composting textile waste—a method being tested under guidance from UC Merced professor Rebecca Ryals—aimed at reducing methane emissions from landfills while helping meet regulatory goals set forth by California Senate Bill 1383. Other research collaborations involve soil microbiology studies led by UC Davis professor Kate Scow.
“We need guidance,” said Michael. “It’s a marriage in my mind between academia and the practical, on-the-ground work; they have to work together… Where do farmers look to find credibility and help with a lot of these things? It should be coming from unbiased folks who are trying to actually look at scientific, peer-reviewed information that we can help make good decisions with.”
Michael also emphasized that ongoing research supports global competitiveness for American agriculture: “Long-term research is part of the backbone of the whole industry. Cutting off research is going to slow progress… All those things get impinged upon when you don’t have a good marriage of scientific research with daily work.”
Joe Del Bosque grows cantaloupes near Firebaugh and has relied on data developed by UC researchers to manage irrigation efficiently during severe droughts affecting California over recent years. “We schedule our irrigations of our crops largely based on data developed by the UC system,” he explained. “We use that every week.” Del Bosque added: “UC Cooperative Extension is really valuable to us… They’re taking theory or studies and putting them to practice to test them to see how well they work.”
Del Bosque has also participated in panel discussions at UC Merced regarding agriculture’s future water needs. He underscored that most farmers lack resources for independent research: “Farmers can’t do the research on their own… It takes someone like UC to do that type of research for us so we can be better at growing crops and also taking care of our people.”
