Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology in DEU

Basic research is carried out at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology, as at all 86 institutes of the Max Planck Society.

The main focus of the institute's work is on research into processes that determine or influence plant growth and biomass production. In this context, the uptake of substances via the roots, the build-up and breakdown of ingredients, their transport, storage and mobilization as well as the question of how these processes are regulated are analyzed. Methods are used that enable a large number of samples to be examined for their ingredient composition and gene activities. With the help of bioinformatics, computer models can be created from the multitude of data collected.

Other research topics deal with the physiology and genetics of cell organelles such as plastids and mitochondria as well as the molecular mechanisms of the evolution of plant genomes. The range of methods bundles and includes techniques from molecular biology, genetics, physiology, biochemistry, biophysics and bioinformatics.