Foundation Plant Services

10/14/2026

FPS Director Maher Al Rwahnih and Staff Research Associate Rasha Aldamrat recently traveled to Qatar for a collaborative knowledge exchange workshop with the Agricultural Research Department of Qatar's Ministry of Municipality.
During the workshop, our team shared insights on molecular testing and tissue culture therapy, while learning specialized techniques for date palm tissue culture. Together, we exchanged cutting-edge methods for virus detection to strengthen clean plant programs in both regions.
We are honored by the thoughtful feedback from Qatar's Biotechnology and Gene Bank Section, who highlighted the "productive dialogues" and "superb chance for reciprocal education and professional partnership," and are grateful for the extraordinary hospitality and engagement that Maher and Rasha received.
Collaborations like this fuel global innovation and directly support international clean plant initiatives! Thank you again to the entire team at the Qatar Ministry of Municipality Agricultural Research Department for your warm welcome, active collaboration, and shared commitment to agricultural science!
📸 Check out these photos from the workshop!

09/30/2026

Our international connections and collaborations continue to grow! This week, FPS director Maher Al Rwahnih and Plant Variety Licensing Assistant Director Isaac Rainwater hosted a delegation from the Kyrgyz Republic. The delegation included Erlist Akunbekov, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic and Azamat Kadyraliev, Deputy Head of the Administration of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Head of the Department for the Preparation of Decisions of the President and the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic. While visiting FPS the delegation learned about the clean plant program and toured the nursery and lab facility. We are excited for this opportunity to collaborate, and look forward to working together in the future.

09/28/2026

We are proud to sell UCB #1 pistachio rootstock seed in many different countries, and to no one nursery exclusively. Details offered in English and Arabic - let us know if you have questions.

09/23/2026

Do you have experience in tissue culture research and development and you are interested in joining the team at Foundation Plant Services in Davis, California? Our tissue culture lab is growing and we are hiring a Lab Research Supervisor 2. View the job on LinkedIn and submit your application by October 6, 2026, 11:59pm.

Posted 1:38:51 AM. Job SummaryThis position reports to the director of Foundation Plant Services (FPS)…See this and similar jobs on LinkedIn.

09/21/2026

تنويه ... صادر باللغة العربية ..

https://fps.ucdavis.edu/treegerminate.cfm

09/21/2026

Last week, FPS Director Maher Al Rwahnih had the opportunity to visit with Miguel Gil and Diego Lozano of Gil Family Estates in Jumilla, Spain!
Gil Family sourced UCB #1 pistachio seeds directly from UC Davis FPS, and their seedlings are looking great. It’s rewarding to see crops grown from FPS material establishing across the globe.
As we like to say: healthy plants start with healthy seeds! 🌱✨
📸 Take a look through the photos to see the crop growing in the screenhouses.

09/10/2026

Our international network is growing! 🌍✨

We were thrilled to host Alisher Shukurov, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, yesterday at FPS. After a tour of our facilities, we sat down to discuss exciting possibilities for future collaboration in agriculture and scientific exchange.

Strong global partnerships help build a more resilient future for agriculture. Thank you to Deputy Minister Shukurov for visiting! 🚜

09/09/2026

🍇 Protecting Vineyards Through Innovative Research
Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 (GLRaV3) and Grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV) pose significant economic threats to the w**e and grape industry. Accurate detection is essential for keeping vineyards healthy and preventing disease spread.
A new study published in Viruses introduces a targeted HiPlex amplicon sequencing assay that can screen for both viruses simultaneously with high sensitivity—offering a new tool for routine vineyard testing! 🔬🧪
Read the full paper: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/18/9/959
👏 Huge thanks to the researchers—Raied Abou Kubaa, Kristian A. Stevens, Teresa M. Erickson, and Maher Al Rwahnih—and to the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) PD/GWSS Board for funding this crucial work!

Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 (GLRaV3) and grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV) are two major pathogens associated with significant economic losses, requiring reliable and sensitive diagnostic tools for rapid identification. Current RT-qPCR and qPCR assays are widely used in certification progr...

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!