Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research | Research

Directors

Honorary Professor Dr George Coupland

Director

Phone:+49 221 5062 205Fax:+49 221 5062 207

Email: coupland@mpipz.mpg.de

Honorary Professor Dr Maarten Koornneef

Director

Phone:+49 221 5062-410Fax:+49 221 5062-413

Email: koornneef@mpipz.mpg.de

Honorary Professor Dr Paul Schulze-Lefert

Director

Phone:+49 221 5062 350Fax:+49 221 5062 353

Email: schlef@mpipz.mpg.de

Professor Dr Miltos Tsiantis

Director

Phone:+49 221 5062 105Fax:+49 221 5062 107

Email: tsiantis@mpipz.mpg.de

Scientific Departments

Department of Plant Developmental Biology (George Coupland)

Plants spend their life in one position, and thrive in locations where they are exposed to a wide variety of environmental conditions. This versatility is possible because plants continuously monitor and respond to environmental stimuli such as light, temperature and the availability of nutrients. [more]

Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics (Maarten Koornneef)

The genetic diversity between plant species is huge as observed by the large differences in many traits. However also within species substantial genetic variation is present in nature or has been generated by breeders and researchers. [more]

Department of Plant Microbe Interactions (Paul Schulze-Lefert)

Research in the department of Plant Microbe Interactions engages in fundamental molecular processes underlying interactions between plants and pathogens. The innate immune system of plants and mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis have a central role in our discovery program. [more]

Department of Comparative Development and Genetics (Miltos Tsiantis)

Our research programme is empowered by the use of Cardamine hirsuta (Hairy bittercress), a common weed we developed as a model system for studies in evolution of development. C. hirsuta is related to the reference plant Arabidopsis thaliana (Thale cress) and, like A. thaliana, is amenable to both forward and reverse genetics approaches, including efficient transgenesis.

[more]