Foundation Plant Services

08/19/2026

Excited to welcome Alfredo Diaz Lara and colleagues from Tec de Monterrey to FPS! 🌿🔬
Their visit marks a step forward in strengthening our international plant pathology collaborations. Together, we’re combining expertise to advance plant health research, tackle global crop challenges, and build stronger academic ties between Mexico and the US.

08/07/2026

We had a wonderful visit today at Foundation Plant Services! 🍇

We were excited to host Masamoto Hinata from Lagphase LLC, a Japanese company that sources clean grape material from FPS. Masamoto toured our facility and spent time discussing future opportunities for collaboration to support clean plant material globally.

Thanks for visiting us, Masamoto!

07/30/2026

From Davis, California to Georgia! ✈️🇬🇪
FPS Director Maher Al Rwahnih spent a few days this week in the Republic of Georgia connecting with local agricultural leadership and growers! Highlights included meeting with Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture David Songulashvili, presenting at a grower seminar organized by Valeri Gorgisheli from the Georgian Agrarian Union, and visiting several production fields. Clean plants have worldwide significance, and the grower group was interested to learn about the FPS clean plant program for grapes, fruit, and nut trees. As Georgia works to expand its pistachio industry, FPS is proud to support their efforts with top-tier UCB #1 rootstock.
📸 Swipe through to see photos from the field event!

07/29/2026

Maher visited the Republic of Georgia this week and met with ag officials and growers. Full post coming soon- see the Georgian news, below!

06/18/2026

We had a special visit today from Luca and Miriam Fortunato of Fortunato Nurseries in Puglia, Italy. Luca and Miriam spent the day at FPS learning about the virus testing and production methods used by the clean plant program, with an emphasis on almond and UCB #1. Yesterday, the Fortunatos visited Dave Wilson Nursery and Zaiger Genetics – it’s safe to say that after their tours they’ve seen California nursery production from breeding program to grower!

05/22/2026

From chilling poolside, to long car rides, to outdoor adventures… Grapes from California are in season now and ready to fuel your summer snacking!

05/13/2026

Earlier this week, FPS Director Maher Al Rwahnih presented at the Strawberry Nursery Congress 2026 hosted by Global Plant Genetics & University of California Davis. The event showcasing UC Davis strawberry varieties was attended by nurserymen from around the world. Attendees were provided with a virtual tour of FPS’s clean strawberry production process, and updates on on capabilities for diagnostic testing, quarantine, and research at FPS. We relish every opportunity to meet the people who use the clean plants produced by our program, and thank Global Plant Genetics and the UC Davis Strawberry Breeding Program for the opportunity to participate.

04/30/2026

In the last video of the four-part clean grapevine series from NCPN-Grapes and Penn State Extension, Dr. Marc Fuchs explains why clean plant centers and certification programs don’t test for every possible grapevine disease. Clean plant centers like FPS target the economically relevant viruses – things that can cause significant harm in vineyards and are not typically widespread. What about crown gall? For that answer, you’ve gotta watch the video:

1 like. "Why Some Grapevine Diseases Aren't Tested?"

04/29/2026

USDA-APHIS has announced the 2026 spending plan for the Plant Protection Act Section 7721 program, and FPS will receive $3.6 million for National Clean Plant Network (NCPN) and research activities. Thanks to strong NCPN funding we will be able to continue clean plant center activities, and through the research projects we we are working to improve diagnostics and encourage HTS adoption for berries, sweetpotato, grapes, fruit trees, and roses. We are grateful for the USDA-APHIS support and the hard work of the FPS team. You can read the whole USDA news release here: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/news/agency-announcements/usda-invests-90-million-strengthen-plant-pest-prevention-clean-plant (Photo credit USDA)

04/28/2026

Viruses like grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 and grapevine red blotch virus affect vineyard profits, but what does that have to do with certified planting material? These are two of many viruses that certification programs do not allow in G1 foundation or nursery blocks. Using certified vines when establishing a vineyard is a great way to start a new venture without compromise to virus – hear more from Dr. Cain Hickey, Penn State Extension, in this new NCPN-Grapes supported video.

Why Grapevine Certification Matters