Plant genetic resources are central to the study and harnessing of biological diversity. At the heart of the Genebank department is the Federal Ex situ Gene Bank, representing one of the world’s largest germplasm collections, with a current of holding of 151,348 accessions. The mandate of the department is to conserve agrobiodiversity and also to provide the research community with plant genetic resources; the collection is dispersed over three sites, namely Gatersleben, Groß Lüsewitz and Malchow. The Gene Bank has gained a global reputation as a pioneer in the conservation and quality management of plant germplasm and, over the more than 70 years which have passed since its foundation, has developed...

Plant breeding plays a key role in securing the world’s supply of food. The Breeding Research department exploits novel findings to develop innovative approaches to access crop genetic diversity, and thereby to support breeding into the future. The overall goal is to increase the efficiency of pre-breeding and breeding. The research employs a pipeline similar to that used by breeding programmes, involving the release of genetic variation, the choice of breeding parents and the selection of superior genotypes. It also includes an element of conservation breeding.

The department of Molecular Genetics is concerned with the elucidation of molecular processes that determine plant performance characteristics. The aim is to develop and test strategies that can be used to specifically improve the performance potential of crops. The performance of plants is particularly reflected in the formation of biomass and seeds and thus their yield. The scientists are investigating the dynamics of vegetative growth and metabolism as well as the processes of seed development and filling.

The increasing scarcity of natural resources, the intensification of environmental pressure and the likelihood of future climate change together present modern agriculture with a major challenge. While both the quantity and end-use quality of crops need to be increased to satisfy the demand of a growing world population, it is important to also reduce the use of chemical inputs (fertilizer and pesticides), while also enhancing the resilience of crops such as barley, maize and wheat to extremes of temperature, to moisture stress and to nutrient deficiency. The breeding of robust and stress tolerant, yet still high yielding crop varieties is a crucial prerequisite for achieving the goal of sustainable...

Independent research groups have been started as an additional structural element in 2015 based on a recommendation from the Evaluation in 2012. Groups have been established in a stepwise manner to provide a nursing ground for young, capable scientists, in order to promote their professional careers and to provide scientific space and freedom to operate outside the departments to develop scientific fields and themes that might turn relevant for the research agenda of the Institute at later stages.

Here you will find an overview of the former research groups of the IPK Leibniz Institute. They are sorted according to the year of closure. Within the individual years, the groups are listed alphabetically by research group names. In the list you will find the names of the last leading person. The contents reflect status at the time of closure. The list of publications is continuous as long as the IPK represents the correct affiliation of the published research.