Foundation Plant Services

[Foundation Plant Services @FPSUCDavis]

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 GPG and UCD Strawberry Breeding Program for the opportunity to participate.

[Foundation Plant Services @FPSUCDavis]

Testing grapevines for diseases requires a lot of resources: time, money, and skilled workers. Because of this, grapevine certification programs only test for the viruses that negatively impact vine health and production and are not always present, or “Economically Relevant Viruses.” More on this, and why the certification programs aren’t testing for crown gall, in the last video in the new NCPN-Grapes supported, Penn State Extension-produced, clean grapevine series: https://t.co/CAh0JWCtKL

[Foundation Plant Services @FPSUCDavis]

USDA-APHIS has announced the 2026 spending plan for the Plant Protection Act Section 7721 program. This program funds National Clean Plant Network (NCPN) and research activities at Foundation Plant Services. 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://t.co/tUEfISjBBC

[Foundation Plant Services @FPSUCDavis]

What is grapevine certification, and why does it matter? We’re glad you asked – check out this new video from NCPN-Grapes and Penn State Extension: https://t.co/N3YZA2GjmD

[Foundation Plant Services @FPSUCDavis]

We are happy to report the screenhouse build continues to progress. Install of the wall screen has begun, and we are looking forward to moving in and expanding the foundation grapevine collection.

[Foundation Plant Services @FPSUCDavis]

What does it mean when you are shopping for a “clean” grapevine? And why doesn’t “clean” mean free of all pathogens? Check out this video from PennState Extension and learn about testing for clean and certified grapevine material. https://t.co/sbmqW14mbC

[Foundation Plant Services @FPSUCDavis]

Do you find yourself wondering, "How do clean plant centers produce clean grapevine stock?" We have the answers for you! Check out this new video produced by PennState Extension, featuring appearances by the team at FPS. Watch now: https://t.co/WRVktUq38F

[Foundation Plant Services @FPSUCDavis]

Research alert: FPS grapevine research led by Dr. Vicki Klaassen shows that spring qPCR testing reliably identified most vines with new grapevine red blotch (GRBV) infections. Read the full paper at https://t.co/oORMozbkJQ

[Foundation Plant Services @FPSUCDavis]

FPS now ships UCB#1 pistachio rootstock seed internationally and is exploring new markets for its high-quality seed. We were pleased to host Valeri Gorgisheli, president of Georgian Agrarian Union, to visit our laboratories and original UCB#1 mother trees today.

[Foundation Plant Services @FPSUCDavis]

The vines in our foundation greenhouse were pruned today! The crew wears a coveralls, hair coverings, and shoe coverings for cleanliness. Faintly visible through the back wall is the frame of the Phase 2 screenhouse, which we are greatly looking forward to.

[Foundation Plant Services @FPSUCDavis]

Thank you @raspblackassoc for the invitation to speak at your annual conference this week. It was FPS's first time participating in the conference, and we look forward to working with you more as our berry program grows due to demand for quarantine services and clean plants.

[Foundation Plant Services @FPSUCDavis]

Report from the greenhouse this week: seedling rootstocks are growing well. Once potted up and assigned individual plant ID numbers they will be screened for viruses before we use them for grafting.

[Foundation Plant Services @FPSUCDavis]

Raise the roof! Crane on site today for screenhouse construction - adding another 12,000 square feet of protected space for our priceless foundation grapevine collection.

[Foundation Plant Services @FPSUCDavis]

We are pleased to share that Interlaboratory Validation of High-Throughput Sequencing for the Detection of Viruses and Viroids in Apple, Grapevine, and Stone Fruits (https://t.co/Wcyo6adrCG), with contributions from FPS scientists, was selected as a @phytofrontiers Editor's Pick!

[Foundation Plant Services @FPSUCDavis]

Happy Holidays from Foundation Plant Services

[Dept. of Agriculture @USDA]

Over 42 billion pounds of potatoes and 2.5 billion pounds of sweet potatoes last year were harvested last year. Thanks to our farmers for this Thanksgiving staple! 🍠🥔

#Thanksgiving

[USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service @USDA_APHIS]

Grateful for Agricultural Quarantine Inspection staff! 🌿They’re the first line of defense against invasive pests & diseases - protecting our crops, economy & environment every day. 
👏 

#Thankful #AQI #PlantHealth #ProtectingAgriculture #SafeguardingAmerica

[USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service @USDA_APHIS]

🎓✈️ Are you an international student returning to the U.S. for school? Don’t bring prohibited ag items like meat, fruit, seeds, or plants. Declare all food & ag products to @CBP and help stop pests at the border!

https://t.co/DxXcQMt1lb

#APHIS #AQI #ProtectingAgriculture

[Plant Disease @PlantDiseaseJ]

Feature Article alert! 🚨 Maher Al Rwahnih et al. review the role of clean plant centers in quarantine and certification programs and explore how high-throughput sequencing was evaluated to replace biological assays for screening source material. @nov1873 https://t.co/wQekk3oerk

[Foundation Plant Services @FPSUCDavis]

Ashley Stokes, new Dean of @ucdavisCAES visited us last week to learn about FPS. With Director Al Rwahnih, Dean Stokes toured FPS production facilities and labs. We are happy for this opportunity to welcome Dean Stokes to UC Davis and look forward to working with her.