Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and
Crop Plant Research

 

The Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research in Gatersleben (IPK) is a research center that deals with issues of modern biology, mainly by studying cultivated plant species. Pioneering research to uncover fundamental principles of plant performance and the development of enabling technologies are considered to be of paramount importance in understanding the genetic architecture and the evolution of crop plants at the organismic, the chromosomal and the DNA level. Knowledge-based strategies are developed to facilitate the targeted utilization of biological diversity for the sustainable production of food, feed and renewable resources.

The institute is structured into four scientific departments:

  • Gene bank
  • Cytogenetics and Genome Analysis
  • Molecular Genetics
  • Molecular Cell Biology

The research program highlights three major themes: Crop plant diversity, dynamics of plant genomes, and integrative biology of plant performance. To further promote research into the Triticeae, the institute heads an international consortium to physically map and sequence the barley genome. At the Plant Genome Resources Centre (PGRC) biological resources and enabling technologies are developed such as molecular markers and cereal transformation. 

As a leading center for plant research the IPK sustains widespread collaborations at the national and international level. In addition to their research IPK scientists are engaged in teaching undergraduate and graduate students at eight universities including the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences.

More information about the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research you can find under the link www.ipk-gatersleben.de.