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The Ronald Laboratory

Crop Genetics Innovation

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The Ronald Laboratory

Crop Genetics Innovation

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One of the greatest challenges of our time is to feed the growing population without further destroying the environment. The human population is projected to reach more than 9.7 billion people by 2050 from the current 7.9 billion. In addition to having more people on the planet, we are consuming more calories than we have done in the past. Some estimates indicate that if we are unable to reduce crop loss or alter our consumption patterns, we will need to double the yield of the major crops in the next few decades to keep up with food demands. At the same time, food security remains out of reach for people in many regions of the world. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, as many as 828 million people went hungry in 2021. Climate change presents additional challenges, including rising temperatures and a higher incidence of pests, diseases, droughts and floods, which already reduce global yields by 30-60% each year.

The Ronald lab studies genes that control resistance to disease and tolerance of environmental stress with the goal of improving food security for the world’s poorest farmers. We are also using CRISPR genome editing to help crops plants adapt to climate change and draw down more carbon into soils.

Latest News

Sangeetha Ramesh Invited to Speak at International Conference in Seoul

  • by John Carter
  • September 10, 2024

We are pleased to announce Sangeetha Ramesh has been invited to give a lightning talk and present a poster at the Second International Conference on RiPPs in Seoul, Korea. The conference intends to showcase the numerous impactful advances the field of RiPPs has witnessed since the first conference in 2019. Sangeetha will be presenting on sulfatyrotides associated with plant-microbe interactions. 

Alexander Howard and Subah Soni Awarded Jastro Stipend

  • August 19, 2024

We are happy to announce Alexander Howard and Subah Soni recently earned the Henry A. Jastro Stipend Award. The stipend is awarded to outstanding students, in recognition of their potential to carry out research related to the missions of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

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Spotlights

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Current Projects

We're working to make crop plants more resilient to improve food security for the world’s poorest farmers.

See Our Research
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About Prof. Pamela Ronald

Ronald studies plant microbe-interactions and the plant response to a changing climate.

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Speaking

Dr. Ronald speaks at conferences and symposiums all around the world.

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Our collaborative team

...drives innovation and discovery in scientific research.

Meet Our People

Prof. Pamela Ronald

Distinguished Professor, Department of Plant Pathology and the Genome Center University of California, Davis
Director of Grass Genetics, The Joint Bioenergy Institute, Emeryville, CA
Member, Innovative Genomics Institute, UC Berkeley
Faculty Affiliate, Center on Food Security and the Environment, Stanford University
Co-author of "Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food"

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