Xiaofei Zhang and Joshua Hegarty presented advances in small grains breeding at the 2026 California Grains Conference, held October 13 at UC Davis. 

Graduate student Li Meinhold presented his research on Transformer-based genomic prediction at the 2026 National Association of Plant Breeders (NAPB) Annual Meeting, held June 15–18 in College Station, Texas. Li developed a Transformer-based model integrating genotypic and environmental data to predict wheat grain yield, heading date, and plant height. Using two years of field data, the model outperformed conventional genomic prediction methods.

At the Bay Area Plant Hub meeting hosted by University of California, Berkeley, Li Mainhold, a PhD student from the Small Grains Crop Breeding Program presented new research on using artificial intelligence to improve crop breeding.

Li Meinhold is developing a prediction model using WheatCAP data from public wheat breeding programs. The model combines genomic data—about 500,000 DNA markers from ~8,400 wheat lines—with 40 environmental variables such as weather and location. 

We report new advances in improving resistance to stripe rust, a major disease affecting wheat production. Our study shows that combining adult-plant resistance genes, including Yr78 and Yr36, significantly enhances disease protection across diverse wheat backgrounds under field conditions. This work was conducted in collaboration with the teams of Dr. Jorge Dubcovsky and Dr.

We are excited to start a new project funded by USDA-NIFA to develop better wheat varieties for the future. In this project, we are testing new plant height genes (PLATZ1 and AP2L2) to replace the older ones (Rht-B1b, Rht-D1b) used since the Green Revolution. We will evaluate whether these new genes can help wheat grow better under tough conditions like drought, deep planting, and low nitrogen. Our goal is to develop varieties that produce high yields while staying resilient in changing environments.

At the UCD Small Grains Breeding Program, this week was about teamwork in action. We harvested field plots together –– students, staff, and researchers working side by side, learning by doing. It was hands-on, fast-paced, and a reminder that good agricultural science starts in the field.

The UC Davis Wheat Breeding Program continues its strong tradition of innovation in wheat genetics and breeding. Our team is developing wheat varieties for California producers using an integrated “package” approach that combines disease resistance, yield performance, grain quality, and nutritional traits. 

First Large‐Scale Breakdown of Yr15 Resistance to Wheat Yellow Rust (Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici) Recorded Globally.