Press Releases

Researchers of the MPIPZ have developed a technique that enables the breeding of genetically identical hybrid plants [more]

Researchers describe the unusual trait of amphicarpy, where two types of fruit develop on the same plant: one above- and the other below-ground. [more]

As plants initiate flowering, the shoot tip enlarges and undergoes genetic reprogramming. However, how these changes in shoot-tip shape are co-regulated with the floral transition is unknown. In a new study published in Nature Communications, researchers from the group of George Coupland at the Max-Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany, show that the reciprocal repression of two genes at the plant apex synchronises changes in meristem shape with the floral transition in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.
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Researchers discover a genetic switch in plants that can turn simple spoon-shaped leaves into complex leaves with leaflets [more]

Publication in Nature describes novel regulatory mechanism that keeps plant immune responses in check. [more]

A collaborative study between researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research and the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology has shown how a single metabolite can render bacteria toxic to plants under high salt conditions. Their findings may have important implications for agriculture and plant health in changing climates.
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Researchers breed tomato plants that contain the complete genetic material of both parent plants [more]

A research team led by Raphaël Mercier and Korbinian Schneeberger from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne investigated the great genome diversity of the most popular research model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. A valuable toolbox to empower future genetic research. The study is now published in Nature Genetics.
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A research team led by Paul Schulze-Lefert developed a modular toolkit for tracking bacterial strains colonising plant tissue in competition with other microbiome members. The study is now published in Nature Microbiology.

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A new study published in the journal Nature shows that the same phenomenon that occurs when we try to mix oil and water – phase separation – plays an important role in the immune system of plants.
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Hairy bittercress has explosive fruit that fire seeds in all directions. MPI researchers discover how these seed pods power their own explosion. [more]

A study, led by André Marques, identified chromosome pairing as key in the control for the distribution of genetic material. The findings will provide further insights towards new approaches in plant breeding. [more]

Leaf heteroblasty is the fascinating natural phenomenon by which plants produce different leaves as they grow and mature. This requires a complex interplay between cellular growth and time, and allows a single plant to manifest a diverse range of leaf shapes and sizes over its lifespan. In a recent paper in the journal Current Biology, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne have now shed light on how this intricate process occurs during leaf development of the small mustard plant Arabidopsis thaliana. By studying the development of juvenile and adult leaves, they identified key differences in their cellular growth patterns, which they found were controlled by a SPL9-CYCD3 transcriptional module. These findings provide us with a deeper understanding of how the passing of time is encoded into organ growth and morphogenesis, and demonstrate the intricate tempo of plant growth and development. [more]

Using a novel experimental approach, Max Planck researchers have discovered a core set of genes required by commensal bacteria to colonize their plant hosts. The findings may have broad relevance for understanding how bacteria establish successful host–commensal relationships.
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Reproductive development in plants involves a transition from the vegetative phase during which leaves are continuously produced at the shoot apex, to the reproductive phase marked by the production of inflorescence branches and flowers. Scientists at the Max-Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne have used morphological characterization coupled with protein expression patterns and gene expression profiling to investigate how a regulatory protein called TERMINAL FLOWER 1 carries out two distinct functions at the shoot apex during flowering in the model species Arabidopsis thaliana.
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