Welcome to the UC Davis Plant Breeding Academy

The University of California, Davis PLANT BREEDING ACADEMY is a premium professional development program designed to develop and enhance the skills of industry personnel around the world to enable them to become independent plant breeders or to contribute to larger breeding programs.

OCTOBER 2019 - JUNE 2021

Applications now being accepted!

The sixth class will begin in early October 2019.

For course details click here.

APPLY HERE

News and Updates

Allen Van Deynze Receives Excellence in Research Award

Congratulations to our own Allen Van Deynze, director of research at the SBC and associate director of the Plant Breeding Center at UC Davis. He was awarded the UC Davis Academic Federation's 2019 Excellence in Research Award at a ceremony held this past week on campus. He has conducted groundbreaking research in Mexico and in Africa and has received more than $12 million in research funding since 2012. Way to go Allen! Read more

UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center partnership with African Orphan Crop Consortium prepare underutilized crops for success

The UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center’s Plant Breeding Academy aims to train 150 breeders, connecting them to research resources and funding while empowering them to apply their knowledge to their traditional crops and communities. Read more.

PBA Alumni Create Professional Association for Plant Breeders in Africa

Alumni from our African Plant Breeding Academy have established the African Plant Breeders Association. This professional association will provide a collaborative space for breeders on the continent. The inaugural meeting, where the executive committee will be elected, is in late October 2019.

PBA Student Passes Away in Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 Crash

Our sincere condolences to the family, friends, and cohort of African PBA Class IV student Dr. Kojo Galto. Dr. Galto, an assistant professor at the University of Lomé in Togo, was traveling to a workshop at Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA-ILRI). He was a talented plant breeder and will sorely be missed. Read article.

Plant Breeding Academy Addresses Global Food Needs

UC Davis' Department of Plant Sciences shares how PBA is changing the global food supply one scientist at a time. Read article.

PBA Alumna Awarded 2018 Most Influential Scientist

African PBA (AfPBA) Class III alumna, Dorcas Ibitoye recently won the 2018 Most Influential Scientist Award at the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT) in Nigeria. Upon receiving the award, Dorcas accredited African PBA to her success, "AfPBA/AOCC have impacted and invested so much in me that I can't keep it to myself. I always look for way to also influence and impact others."

Rare Groundcherry Could Soon Be Everywhere, Thanks to Gene Editing

SBC Director of Research, Dr. Allen Van Deynze discusses gene editing in this HOW STUFF WORKS article. Read article.

Moringa, the next superfood

In this Washington Post story, Dr. Allen Van Deynze was interviewed for his work with African orphan crops, moringa being one of them that can potentially be the next superfood to help feed the world. Watch video and read article.

How changing the world’s food systems can help to protect the planet

Together the SBC African Plant Breeding and the African Orphan Crop Consortium (AOCC) are working to change the world’s food systems in response to “Earth Overshoot Day”. Read more.

High-Tech Agriculture

SBC Director of Research, Dr. Allen Van Deynze speaks to Voice of America about the use and impact of high-tech agricultures tools in planting seeds for today and the future. Listen

Allen Van Deynze talks about breeding better tomatoes

Listen up everyone! SBC Research Director Allen Van Deynze discusses the intricacies, art and science of plant breeding in this Allen Van Deynze Receives Excellence in Research AwardBreeding Better Tomatoes podcast@tomatowellness TomatoWellness.com FarmToTableTalk.com

Plant Breeding Is a Key Part of Precision Agriculture’s Future
At GrowingProduce.com, American Vegetable Grower editor Carol Miller describes her visit to the California vegetable seed trials this past August. One theme that stood out to her during her tour was how much breeders are keeping future automation in mind. She went on to describe an instrument that measures the amount of force it takes to pull a jalapeño off its plant, developed as a part of a research project led by UC Davis graduate student Randi Jimenez and SBC Research Director Allen Van Deynze. Read more @GrowingProduce

European Seed names SBC Education Director Rale Gjuric one of 20 most influential seed people in Europe

20 Highly Influential Seeds-people in Europe in 2017

In an attempt to draw much-deserved attention to the movers and shakers in the European seed sector, European Seed put together a list of people who they view as highly influential in 2017. You may ask what makes an individual worthy of a spot on their list of the most influential seed people? They believe that each one of these incredible people have had a significant effect on the European seed sector in the past year(s)... Read article