Breeding Research on the Way to a Plant-Based Bioeconomy

Soft rain showers down, nourishing the vibrant green foliage below, while a gentle breeze rustles through the leaves. The temperature is rising fast. We are exposed to the blistering heat of a summer day.

But this is not the tropics. We are not even outside.

The scientific focus at the IPK is on developing new insights into the structure, function, and evolution of genetic material, on the conservation, research, and development of the hereditary diversity of important cultivated plants, their ancestors, and wild relatives. The IPK is one of the leading international scientific institutions in these fields.

Around 180 IPK researchers are dedicated to:
• the elucidation of fundamental principles of evolution and plant development,
• the improvement of the adaptability of important crop plants to changing environmental and climatic conditions, and
• the development of innovative approaches to knowledge-based maintenance, exploration, and utilization of crop diversity.

The institute owns a wide range of microscopes – from widefield light microscopes to confocal laser scanning, super-resolution and electron microscopes. Around 30 research groups work on various research questions with these tools.

Microscopy is a core technology in modern plant research. While its classical use has been to characterize morphology and structure, the focus is increasingly shifting to the study of growth and cell dynamics, where cellular and subcellular events are monitored on living plant tissue. One of the leading research issues for crop scientists is the adaptation of plants to unfavorable environmental conditions and the strategies they adopt to cope with environmental stress.

Crop research is an important field that is constantly evolving as scientists strive to develop more efficient and sustainable agricultural practices. Cultivating crops that are more tolerant to drought, heat, and other environmental stresses, as well as improving crop nutrient content and quality, will remain key challenges both for the teams at the IPK and for plant researchers globally.

There are also important social and economic aspects to crop research, such as the need to develop crops that are more affordable and accessible to farmers in developing countries. In addition, there is a growing interest in sustainable and organic farming practices, which are becoming increasingly popular among consumers worldwide.

Overall, crop research is a dynamic and rapidly evolving field that is critical to ensuring food security and sustainability in the face of global challenges such as climate change and population growth.

The research goals of the Institute are directed towards the efficient and sustainable supply of food, energy, and raw materials and thus towards meeting global challenges. At the IPK, the conservation, research, and utilization of the genetic diversity of crops in the Federal Ex situ Gene Bank are combined with innovative research approaches in the fields of molecular genetics, genome research, molecular plant biology, systems biology, bioinformatics, and modelling. The IPK’s work contributes to the development of a plant-based bioeconomy and related social change.

The four departments of the IPK are the gene bank, breeding research, molecular genetics and physiology, and cell biology.

With a total inventory of more than 150,000 accessions from almost 3,000 species, the IPK’s gene bank is one of the largest facilities of its kind in the world.