Starting Summer Session 1 2025, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Multiple perspectives and connections between natural sciences, social sciences, and agriculture. Emphasizes agriculture's central position between nature and society and its key role in our search for a productive, lasting and hospitable environment. Several full-period field trips provide hands-on learning.

Course Description: Holistic introduction to the underlying botanical and physiological principles of cultivated plants and their response to the environment. Includes concepts behind plant selection, cultivation, and utilization. Laboratories include discussion and interactive demonstrations.

Prerequisite(s): High school course in biology and chemistry recommended.

Course Description: Introduction to topics covered in the core courses and areas of specialization within the Plant Sciences major. Research and internship opportunities and potential career paths in plant breeding, crop management and ecology, horticulture, precision agriculture, crop quality and safety, ecosystem management and restoration, and related fields.

Course Description: Introduction to the art and science of using and growing flowers to harness the power that is represented by their aesthetic beauty. Handling, production, arranging, breeding and marketing of flowers. Emphasis on potted plants and cut-flowers.

Prerequisite(s): High school biology.

Course Description: Introduction to the art and science of using and growing flowers to harness the power that is represented by their aesthetic beauty. Handling, production, arranging, breeding and marketing of flowers. Emphasis on potted plants and cut-flowers.

Prerequisite(s): High school biology.

Course Description: Coffee used as a case study to examine biological, ecological and social factors influencing sustainability of farming systems and how food production systems impact human well-being.

Course Description: Coffee used as a case study to examine biological, ecological and social factors influencing sustainability of farming systems and how food production systems impact human well-being.

Course Description: Dependence of human societies on plant and plant products. Plants as resources for food, fiber, health, enjoyment and environmental services. Sustainable uses of plants for food production, raw materials, bioenergy, and environmental conservation. Global population growth and future food supplies.

Prerequisite(s): High school biology.

This version has ended; see updated course, below.
Course Description: Multidisciplinary perspectives on the crop that gives us chocolate. History, genetics, agronomy, sensory science, and economics of cacao production.

Prerequisite(s): High school biology.

Course Description: Multidisciplinary introduction to agricultural sustainability with a natural sciences emphasis. Sustainability concepts and perspectives. Agricultural evolution, history, resources and functions. Diverse agricultural systems and practices and their relative sustainability. Laboratories provide direct experience with selected agricultural practices and systems.

Course Description: Concepts of computing and applications using personal computers, spreadsheets, database management, word processing and communications.

Prerequisite(s): High school algebra.

Course Description: Concepts of computing and applications using personal computers, spreadsheets, database management, word processing and communications.

Prerequisite(s): High school algebra.

Course Description: Introduction to quantitative and physico-chemical principles of importance in the plant sciences.

Course Description: Principles and practices of organic production of annual crops. Including organic crops, soil, and pest management, cover cropping, composting, seeding, transplanting, irrigation, harvesting and marketing.

Course Description: Work experience on or off campus in subject areas pertaining to plant and environmental sciences. Internship supervised by a faculty member.

Course Description: Directed group study.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor; primarily for lower division students.

Course Description: Special study for undergraduates.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor; primarily for lower division students.

Course Description: Principles of energy capture and photosynthesis, water use, and nutrient cycling. Conversion of these resources into products (carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and other chemicals) by plants. Emphasis on the relationships between environmental resources, plant metabolism and plant growth.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 002 or BIS 002C; or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Techniques and instruments used to study plant metabolic processes, including water relations, respiration, photosynthesis, enzyme kinetics, microscopy, immunochemistry, and nitrogen fixation. Quantitative methods, problem solving, and practical applications are emphasized.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 100A (can be concurrent); or the equivalent.

Course Description: Principles of the cellular mechanisms and hormonal regulation underlying plant growth, development, and reproduction. Emphasis on how these processes contribute to the harvestable yield of cultivated plants and can be managed to increase crop productivity and quality.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 100A; or the equivalent of PLS 100A.

Course Description: Laboratory exercises in plant growth and development and their regulation, including photomorphogenesis, plant growth regulators, plant anatomy, seed germination, fruit ripening and senescence. Includes field trips to illustrate relationships to cropping and marketing systems.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 100B (can be concurrent); or equivalent.

Course Description: Principles of plant interactions with their physical and biological environments and their acquisition of the resources needed for growth and reproduction. Emphasis on how management practices and environmental conditions affect crop productivity.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 100A; or the equivalent of PLS 100A.

Course Description: Techniques and instruments used to study plant interactions with their physical and biological environments, including light responses, transpiration, microclimatology, nutrient availability and utilization, biomass accumulation. Quantitative methods and modeling are emphasized.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 100C (can be concurrent).

Course Description: Focus on the interaction between agriculture and the environment to address the principles required to analyze conflict and develop solutions to complex problems facing society.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 002; or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Introduction to the ecological principles of integrated pest management, biology of different classes of pests and the types of losses they cause, population assessment, evaluation of advantages and disadvantages of different techniques used for pest management, IPM programs.

Prerequisite(s): CHE 008B; (PLS 002 or BIS 002B or BIS 002C).

Course Description: Horticultural principles applied to production and management systems for vegetable crops. Laboratory and discussion illustrate efficient field management and resource use practices.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 002 or (BIS 002A, BIS 002B, BIS 002C).

This version has ended; see updated course, below.
Course Description: Principles, practices and technologies of agronomic cropping systems, including crop systematics, physiology, agroecology, equipment, and management. Cropping systems analysis and integration of economic and ecological decision-making considerations involved in crop production. One weekend field trip required.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 002 or (BIS 002A, BIS 002B, BIS 002C).

Course Description: Forages as a world resource in food production. Ecological principles governing the adaptation, establishment, growth and management of perennial and annual forages, including pastures, rangelands and hay; aspects of forage quality which affect feeding value to livestock.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 002 or BIS 001C or BIS 002C; or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Physiology, growth, development and environmental requirements of fruit trees and the cultural practices used to maintain them. Emphasis on the application of biological principles in the culture of commercially important temperate zone fruit tree species.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 002 or BIS 001C or BIS 002C; or equivalent.

Course Description: Reproductive biology of tree crop species. Biological principles of fruit production, tree nutrition and orchard management for optimizing cropping. Laboratories emphasize hands-on work with orchard tree systems that are done specifically to produce the crop.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 002 or BIS 001C or BIS 002C; PLS 113 recommended.

Course Description: Structure and evolution of terrestrial plants. Evolutionary and developmental origins and adaptive significance of both reproductive and vegetative structures, in the context of current understanding of phylogenetic relationships.

Prerequisite(s): Introductory Plant Biology; e.g., BIS 002C, PLS 002.

Course Description: Application of statistical methods to design and analysis of research trials for plant, animal, behavioral, nutritional, and consumer sciences. Basic concepts and statistical methods are presented in lectures, laboratories emphasize data processing techniques, problem solving, and interpretation in specialized fields.

Prerequisite(s): Upper division standing.

Course Description: Modeling approaches commonly used in plant and crop applications. Fundamentals of how plant/crop models are developed and considerations regarding their limitations. Example model applications include degree-day and radiation-use-efficiency models of growth and yield, phenological models, and crop coefficients.

Prerequisite(s): college algebra/precalculus college physics recommended.

Course Description: Introduction to quantitative approaches for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting environmental data used in plant sciences research. Remote sensing data for estimating plant structure, function and water status, spatial and temporal aspects of data, data science and machine learning, synthesizing complex, high-dimensional data.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 021 C or better (can be concurrent) or PLS 021 C or better (can be concurrent); PLS 120 C or better; PHY 007A; PHY 007B; PHY 007C; or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Quantitative approaches for collecting, analyzing and interpreting remote sensing data at scales from the leaf to the satellite in plant sciences research. Hands-on experience collecting, processing, and analyzing leaf and canopy-level remote sensing data.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 124 C or better (can be concurrent); PLS 021 C or better (can be concurrent or PLS 021V C or better (can be concurrent)); PHY 007A; PHY 007B; PHY 007C; PLS 120 C or better; or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Diversity, phylogeny, and taxonomy of lycophytes, ferns, and seed plants (gymnosperms and angiosperms), emphasizing relationships and distinguishing characteristics of families and genera represented in the California flora. Principles and methods of phylogeny reconstruction, classification, and plant nomenclature. Practice identifying plants to species using taxonomic keys.

Prerequisite(s): BIS 002C or PLS 002; or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Comprehensive survey of grassland ecology including distributions of major grassland types; systematics; morphology, physiology, and diversity of grassland species; population, community, and ecosystem processes occurring in grasslands; the role of grazing, fire, and drought in grasslands; management and conservation.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 002 or BIS 002B or BIS 002C; or consent of instructor; upper division standing.

Course Description: Principles and practices of managing grazing; grazing plan development; setting goals, herbivore nutritional demand, animal unit equivalents, determining ecological carrying capacities and stocking rate, livestock spatial and temporal distribution and grazing systems, herbivore – plant – soil interactions, livestock – wildlife interactions, conservation grazing practices, and the economics of grazing management.

Prerequisite(s): BIS 002B or BIS 002C or PLS 002 or SSC 010 or ANS 001 or WFC 010 or ESP 001; or consent of instructor.

This version has ended; see updated course, below.
Course Description: Relationships and interactions between plants and people, including human perceptions, management, and uses of plants, influences of plants on human cultures, and effects of human activity on plant ecology and evolution. Concepts, questions, methods, and ethical considerations in ethnobotanical research.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 002 or BIS 001C or BIS 002C.

Course Description: Biological structure and function of trees as organisms; understanding of forests as communities and as ecosystems; use of forests by humans; tree phenology, photosynthesis, respiration, soil processes, life histories, dormancy, forest biodiversity, and agroforestry.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 002 or BIS 001C or BIS 002C.

Course Description: Ecology, distribution, and species of California's plant communities. Environmental forces that determine these communities, the threats they face, and their conservation and restoration opportunities.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 002 or BIS 002C.

Course Description: Visits to many of northern California's plant communities, from the north coast to the Central Valley to the Sierras. Discussion of community ecology and hands-on identification of species. Two Saturday and two three-day field trips required.

Prerequisite(s): (PLS 002 or BIS 002C); concurrent or previous enrollment in PLS 147.

Course Description: Diversity, taxonomy, ecology, evolution, and traditional cultural importance of the flora of the Cascade and Klamath mountain ranges. Conservation and management issues. Legal and ethical responsibilities of field botanists. Hands-on botanical field methods including plant identification, characterization of vegetation types, and rare plant surveys. Field course offered the last two weeks of July, based at Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Course Description: Interdisciplinary analysis of agricultural production and food systems with primary emphasis on biophysical processes. General concepts governing the functioning of temperate and tropical agroecosystems in relation to resource availability, ecological sustainability, and socio-economic viability. Comparative ecological analyses of agroecosystems.

Prerequisite(s): SSC 010; CHE 002A; (PLS 002 or BIS 001C or BIS 002C).

Course Description: Basic principles of transmission genetics, cytogenetics, population and quantitative genetics, and molecular genetics. Practical aspects of genetic crosses and analysis of segregating populations.

Prerequisite(s): BIS 001A or BIS 002A; or consent of instructor.

Starting Fall Quarter 2024, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Basic and applied aspects of plant tissue culture including media preparation, micropropagation, organogenesis, embryogenesis, anther culture, protoplast culture and transformation.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 002 or BIS 001C or BIS 002C.

This version has ended; see updated course, below.
Course Description: Principles, methods and applications of plant breeding and genetics to the improvement of crop plants. Illustration of how plant breeding is a dynamic, multidisciplinary, constantly-evolving science. Laboratory emphasizes hands-on experience in the basics of breeding through experiments.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 152 or BIS 101; or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Stress concepts and principles; molecular, physiological, developmental and morphological characteristics enabling plants to avoid or tolerate environmental stresses; stress acclimation and adaptation processes; responses of wild and cultivated species to drought, flooding, nutrient deficiencies, salinity, toxic ions, extreme temperatures, etc.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 100C or PLB 111 or PLB 112 or ENH 102 or VEN 110.

Course Description: Evolution and scope of plant nutrition; essential elements; mechanisms of absorption and membrane transporters; translocation and allocation processes; mineral metabolism; deficiencies and toxicities; genetic variation in plant nutrition; applications to management and understanding ecological effects of nutrient availability or deficiency.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 100A or PLB 111 or ENH 102 or VEN 110.

Course Description: Traditional and evolving use of trees in agricultural ecosystems; their multiple roles in environmental stabilization and production of food, fuel, and fiber; and socioeconomic barriers to the adoption and implementation of agroforestry practices.

Prerequisite(s): (PLS 002 or BIS 001C or BIS 002C); (PLS 142 or PLS 150 or BIS 002B); or general ecology course in lieu of PLS 142 or PLS 150 or BIS 002B.

Course Description: Application of fundamental concepts and approaches in landscape and ecosystem ecology to urban ecosystems. Ecological and social drivers and responses. Landscape heterogeneity, nutrient dynamics, invasive species, altered hydrology and climate, and pollution. Discussion of primary literature.

Prerequisite(s): ECL 200AN C- or better or ECL 200BN C- or better or ENH 160 C- or better or ESM 144 C- or better or ESP 100 C- or better or ESP 110 C- or better or ESP 121 C- or better or EVE 101 C- or better or EVE 104 C- or better or EVE 117 C- or better or EVE 120 C- or better or EVE 181 C- or better or PLB 117 C- or better or PLS 130 C- or better or PLS 144 C- or better or PLS 163 C- or better or SSC 112 C- or better; or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Integration of concepts to understand and manage ecosystems in a complex and changing world. Emphasis on interactions among biotic, abiotic & human factors and changes over space/time. Local to global controls over water, carbon and nutrients across ecosystems/landscapes.

Prerequisite(s): ENH 160 C- or better or ESM 144 C- or better or ESP 100 C- or better or ESP 155 C- or better or EVE 101 C- or better or EVE 117 C- or better or PLB 117 C- or better or PLS 130 C- or better or PLS 144 C- or better or PLS 147 C- or better or PLS 150 C- or better or PLS 162 C- or better or SSC 100 C- or better or SSC 102 C- or better or SSC 109 C- or better or SSC 112 C- or better or HYD 124 C- or better or ECL 200AN C- or better or ECL 200BN (can be concurrent); or similar class with consent of instructor.

Course Description: Overview of production and handling systems of major pomological crops, analysis of current cultural and harvesting problems and concerns associated with commercial fruit growing.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 002 or BIS 002C; or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Overview of production and handling systems of major pomological crops, including analysis of current cultural and harvesting problems and concerns associated with commercial fruit growing.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 002 or BIS 002C; or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Principles and practices of propagating plants covering anatomical, physiological, and practical aspects.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 002 or BIS 001C or BIS 002C.

Course Description: Overview of physiological and molecular processes related to the quality and safety of harvested crop products. Targeted approaches and technologies to improve/maintain crop quality and limit crop losses after harvest. Socioeconomic aspects of crop losses and food waste.

Prerequisite(s): BIS 002A; PLS 002; or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Overview of microorganisms on fresh produce, pre- and postharvest factors influencing risk of microbial contamination, attachment of microorganisms to produce, multiplication during postharvest handling and storage, and methods of detection. Mock outbreak trial and presentation of science-based forensic discovery.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 002 or BIS 001C or BIS 002C; or equivalent.

Course Description: Weed biology and ecology, methods of weed management, biological control, herbicides and herbicide resistance. Weed control in managed and natural ecosystems; invasive species. Laws and regulations. Application of herbicides. Sight and software-assisted identification of common weeds.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 002 or BIS 001C or BIS 002C.

Course Description: Brief survey of common and invasive fresh water plants and macroalgae, their reproductive modes, physiology, growth (photosynthesis, nutrient utilization), development (hormonal interactions), ecology, modes and impacts of invasion, and management. Two Saturday field trips required.

Prerequisite(s): (PLS 002 or BIS 001C or BIS 002C); (CHE 008B or CHE 118B); PLS 100C, PLB 111, ENH 102, or HYD 122 recommended.

Course Description: Preparation and review of a scientific proposal. Problem definition, identification of objectives, literature survey, hypothesis generation, design of experiments, data analysis planning, proposal outline and preparation.

Prerequisite(s): Upper division standing.

Course Description: Formulating experimental approaches to current questions in plant science; performance of proposed experiments.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 188; and consent of instructor.

Course Description: Seminar on topics related to alternative theories, practices and systems of agriculture and the relationship of agriculture to the environment and society. Scientific, technological, social, political and economic perspectives.

Prerequisite(s): Upper division standing or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Weekly conference on research problems, progress and techniques in the plant sciences.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor; advanced standing.

Course Description: Work experience on or off campus in subject areas pertaining to plant and environmental sciences. Internship supervised by a faculty member.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor; completion of 84 units.

Course Description: Methods of teaching children and youth about fruit and vegetable production and consumption. Lesson and activity planning for garden and farm field trips. Basic biology, ecology, plant science, and crop management practices. Mentorship in experiential learning. Preparation of garden site.

Prerequisite(s): Upper division standing or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Independent study of selected topics under the direction of a member or members of the staff. Completion will involve the writing of a senior thesis.

Prerequisite(s): Senior standing; overall GPA of 3.250 or higher and consent of master advisor.

Course Description: Leading small voluntary discussion or lab groups affiliated with one of the department's regular courses.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor; upper division standing, completion of course being tutored or the equivalent.

Course Description: Directed group study.

Course Description: Special study for advanced undergraduates.

Course Description: Introduction to the research process and statistical methods to plan, conduct and interpret experiments.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 120; or equivalent.

Course Description: Multivariate linear and nonlinear models. Model selection and parameter estimation. Analysis of manipulative and observational agroecological experiments. Discriminant, principal component, and path analyses. Logistic and biased regression. Bootstrapping. Exercises based on actual research by UC Davis students.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 120; (STA 106 or STA 108 or PLS 205).

Course Description: Introduction to building statistical models in classical and Bayesian frameworks, model fitting methods, introduction to hierarchical Bayes, regularization and priors, applications of hierarchical Bayesian models to important kinds of problems of environmental data analysis.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 205 (can be concurrent); PLS 206 (can be concurrent); or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Review of postharvest biology of fruits and nuts and biotechnological approaches to address postharvest challenges. Morphology, biology and postharvest handling of fruits and nuts are presented along with current research, including biotechnology, and discussion of future research needs and approaches.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 172.

Course Description: Comparative physiology of harvest vegetables; emphasis on maturation, senescence, compositional changes, physiological disorders and effects of environmental factors. Concepts and research procedures.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 172 or PLS 100B or PLB 112.

Course Description: Hands-on practice applying a wide range of field-oriented plant physiology equipment and techniques. Use of water relations techniques, gas exchange devices, and image analysis, with extensive focus on dataloggers and sensing. Training in field-based plant physiology techniques intended to help students design research projects and appreciate the value and limitations of new equipment.

Prerequisite(s): Prior coursework in plant physiology such as PLS 100A, PLS 100CL, PLS 157, PLS 210, PLB 111 or similar.

This version has ended; see updated course, below.
Course Description: Integration of modern biotechnology and classical plant breeding including the impact of structural, comparative and functional genomics on gene discovery, characterization and exploitation. Covers molecular markers, plant transformation, hybrid production, disease resistance, and novel output traits.

Prerequisite(s): BIS 101; or the equivalent.

This version has ended; see updated course, below.
Course Description: Preview of genome structure, mapping, gene tagging and development of other genetic resources applied to improvement of major vegetables. For graduate students contemplating a career in modern vegetable breeding and biotechnology.

Prerequisite(s): BIS 101; or equivalent.

Course Description: Philosophy, methods, and problems in developing improved plant species. Topics include: inbreeding, heterosis, progeny testing, breeding methodology, index selection, germplasm conservation, and breeding for stress resistance. Laboratories include tours of breeding facilities and calculation and interpretation of quantitative data.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 154; PLS 205; GGG 201D or ANG 107 recommended.

Course Description: Introduction to the principles of quantitative genetics including the study and analysis of quantitative variation, concepts of heritability and genetic gain from artificial selection, and application of classic and genome-informed approaches in breeding.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 205; GGG 201D; or consent of instructor; graduate standing.

Course Description: History, theory, and current practice of extension education. Role and skills needed of the extension educator. Pluralistic nature of extension education. Development of skills to create lasting change through outreach and communication in an extension education program.

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing; or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Topics of current interest related to Plant Sciences.

Course Description: Research conference.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Course Description: Designed for graduate students who desire teaching experience but are not teaching assistants.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor; graduate standing; completion of course to be tutored or the equivalent.

Course Description: Group study.

Course Description: Research.

Course Description: Teaching assistant training.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor; graduate standing.