Soybean Database Will Help Breeders Engineer Better-Performing Plants
Dec 31, 2008
MU researchers awarded $1.1 million grant from United Soybean Board

Four IPG Faculty Elected 2008 AAAS Fellows
Dec 18, 2008
Four faculty members of the University of Missouri Interdisciplinary Plant Group have been awarded the distinction of Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Improving Soybean Digestibility
Dec 18, 2008
New research conducted by IPG member Kristin Bilyeu suggests that soybeans can be improved to increase digestibility, important for animal feed.

Soybean Genome Sequenced
Dec 9, 2008
DOE Joint Genome Institute Completes Soybean Genome—Data Released to Advance Biofuel, Food, & Feed Research

Tool Helps Identify Gene Function in Soybeans
Dec 1, 2008
IPG researchers say new tool could lead to better crop performance.

Former MU professor's plant genetics work broke ground
Nov 14, 2008
Professor George (György) P. Rédei, formerly of Columbia, died Monday, Nov. 10, 2008, in Nashville, Tennessee.

IPG Student Named Student Ambassador By American Society of Plant Biologists
Nov 7, 2008
Priya Voothuluru, a doctoral student in Dr. Sharp's lab, is one of only fifteen students nationwide named a Student Ambassador by the ASPB.

Multiple Defense Mechanisms Boost Norton Grape’s Immunity
Nov 5, 2008
New USDA study uses Norton grape to understand innate immune systems of grapevines against fungal pathogens

Female Plant ‘Communicates’ Rejection or Acceptance of Male
Oct 24, 2008
IPG research team identifies pollen proteins that provide insight into the fertilization process

Uncovering Disease Resistance in Soybean
Oct 1, 2008
Melissa Mitchum, assisant professor of plant sciences, was recently awarded an NSF grant to identify the genes essential for the soybean plant’s defense against the soybean cyst nematode. This project holds great promise for Missouri, where soybeans reign as the number one cash crop.

Student Sets Out on Expedition to Collect Wild Onions
Sep 30, 2008
An IPG graduate student was recently awarded a Lewis and Clark fellowship to collect, document, and explore the diversity of North American wild onions (Allium).

The Interdisciplinary Plant Group at the University of Missouri is a premier, modern plant research and training program in America's heartland. It is comprised of fifty research teams from three academic divisions — Biochemistry, Biological Sciences,  and Plant Sciences — and two academic departments, Forestry and Computer Science. This truly unique interdisciplinary environment brings together the approaches and tools of all of these disciplines to study plants and plant-related biological processes.

The Interdisciplinary Plant Group is a major part of the Food for the 21st Century Program at the University of Missouri. The Food for the 21st Century Program is directed at generating the knowledge base to meet the increasing needs for food, fiber, and health for the future.

The Food for the 21st Century Program includes three main priority areas of research:

• Metabolic Regulation of Plants and Animals
• Alternative Sources of Food and Animal Needs
• Specialized Human Nutritional Needs for the Quality of Life

The goals and objectives of the Interdisciplinary Plant Group are focused primarily on the first priority area, but it will certainly influence progress in the other two areas. The goals for the Interdisciplinary Plant Group are to enhance our understanding of plant growth and development, to understand how plants interact with and respond to the environment and to train new researchers in plant science. Achieving these goals will lead to improved efficiency in plant production and utilization as well as greatly enhancing our basic knowledge of plants.

This site briefly describes the environment created by this interactive group of researchers as well as research summaries of each faculty member of the Interdisciplinary Plant Group. While we can be descriptive, we cannot convey the energy and the excitement that cutting-edge research generates. For that special feeling, you will have to come and witness it in action. This is our invitation to you to be a part of an incredible revolution.

John C. Walker
Director, Interdisciplinary Plant Group