Danforth Center

Big news for St. Louis agtech! Danforth Center startup @Spearhead_Bio has closed an oversubscribed $1.62M seed round to advance crop-engineering technology designed to save years and millions of dollars in developing improved crops. Learn more: danforthcenter.org/news/spea…

A new microscope funded by @NSF grant will help Danforth Center scientists see how plant cells grow, respond to stress, and defend against disease—advancing research to protect crops and strengthen food security. Read more here: danforthcenter.org/news/expa…

Rice, wheat, maize, sorghum, and barley share an ancient genetic history. A new study co-authored by Danforth Center Member Emerita Toby Kellogg reveals how the grass family began, and offers knowledge that could help advance food security. Read more: danforthcenter.org/news/ance…

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and @LancasterUni just landed a $4.9M grant from the @gatesfoundation to help cassava (a crop that feeds roughly 800 million people) hold up under extreme heat. The four-year project is called HeatSmart Cassava.

One of the smallest plants on Earth is doing some of the biggest work for the planet's carbon cycle: peatlands built by moss store nearly a third of the world's soil carbon, more than 2x what's held in all the world's forest biomass combined.

Most of the world's vineyards grow on rootstock from wild grapevines native to North America. In the 1800s, these wild grapevines saved Europe's vineyards from a pest called phylloxera, and their rootstock is still used today. Now they need saving too.

A single 2020 storm decimated 850,000 acres of corn in Iowa. Danforth Center PI Erin Sparks is tackling that problem underground: engineering corn with more flexible roots to resist wind damage. Featured in @Forbes: danforthcenter.org/news/erin…

This month’s On the Vine is here! If you don’t already know, our monthly e-newsletter is the easiest way to follow along with all that’s going on at the Center. 📨 Check out our latest issue and be sure to sign up today: myemail.constantcontact.com/… #ScienceNews #PlantScience

Can a plant remember a heat wave? Danforth Center principal investigator Ru Zhang is studying how photosynthetic cells retain "heat stress memory" to help breed more heat-resilient crops. 🌿

We were honored to welcome @USDA Under Secretary Scott Hutchins (@USDAScience) to the Danforth Center this week. Thank you, Under Secretary Hutchins, for your time and for your commitment to supporting American agricultural innovation.