Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

The future of food depends in part on protecting the diversity of plants we have today.

A new paper in Plants, People, Planet coauthored by Danforth Center VP of Research Allison Miller, calls for stronger collaboration among genebanks, botanic gardens, researchers, and other partners to conserve and put food-plant diversity to greater use.

From crop wild relatives carrying valuable traits to underutilized plants with potential to strengthen future food systems, this diversity can help agriculture become more nutritious, resilient, and sustainable.

The paper also introduces the Global Conservation Consortium for Food Plants, a new effort to strengthen coordination across the organizations safeguarding these resources.

Read the paper:

Food plants are vital to human and planetary health, but their diversity is threatened, making food security, nutrition, and environmental goals more difficult to achieve.

Food plant diversity conservation, research, and education can be enhanced through collaboration between sectors, including genebanks and botanic gardens, which possess complementary strengths but have historically tended to work in isolation.

Khoury, et al. describe a vision for conserving and promoting food plant diversity through closer cross-sectoral collaboration, offering examples of recent successes and announcing the launch of the Global Conservation Consortium for Food Plants.

https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ppp3.70265

Last chance! Tomorrow, step inside one of the world’s leading plant science institutes after dark. Music, food, drinks, raffles, and a chance to get your hands on real science.

Join us at the Danforth Center for Party with the Plants: Plants After Dark to support the St. Louis community and early-career scientists. Get your tickets now at the link in bio!

How could new gene editing tools expand what’s possible for crop improvement?

St. Louis Magazine recently took a closer look at Spearhead Bio and its TAHITI gene editing technology, featuring Danforth Center Principal Investigator and Spearhead Bio Chief Scientific Officer Keith Slotkin, PhD.

Used alongside tools such as CRISPR, TAHITI could enable scientists to insert or replace larger pieces of DNA, opening new possibilities for crop improvement.

The article explores the science behind the technology and how Spearhead Bio is adapting it for use by agricultural companies.

Read more at the link in the comments below.

What allows short-stature corn to better withstand strong winds?

Progressive Farmer recently explored that question in an article about how shorter corn varieties could hold the key to more resilient and adaptable crops, highlighting research from Danforth Center scientist Erin Sparks, PhD, and her team.

Their research found that some short-stature corn hybrids had root systems that were 30% more flexible than their taller counterparts. Sparks compares the finding to earthquake engineering: shorter plants reduce the leverage created by wind, while flexible roots can act like a spring to help plants stay upright.

Read how this research is helping scientists better understand what makes short-stature corn more resistant to wind damage at the link in the comments below.

Big solutions can start with a plant. 🌱

From the food we eat to the health of our communities, plant science touches more of our lives than we might realize.

That’s why this week, we’re coming together for the 2026 Grow Challenge Week of Giving. By Friday, we’re aiming to raise $125,000 to advance plant science research and create opportunities for the next generation of scientists.

Led by our Young Friends, the Grow Challenge is a chance to invest in the science and scientists working toward better crops, healthier communities and a more sustainable future.

And this week, every gift is matched up to $1,000 while funds last!

Help us reach our goal by Friday. Donate at the link in the comments below.

Golf, anyone? ⛳

Now through September 22, Member for a Day is auctioning off golf experiences at some of St. Louis’ most exclusive courses, with net proceeds benefiting the Danforth Center’s 2026 Grow Challenge.

Bid on rounds at St. Louis Country Club, Bellerive Country Club, Meadowbrook Country Club and Glen Echo Country Club while supporting our efforts to feed the world and protect our planet. Your support helps fund high-impact early-stage science and technology, STEM education and outreach, and opportunities for the next generation of scientists.

Ready to book your next tee time? Place your bid at the link in the comments below.

Danforth Center startup Spearhead Bio has closed an oversubscribed $1.62 million seed funding round to advance technology that could dramatically reduce the time and cost required to develop improved crops.

Founded by Danforth Center scientist Keith Slotkin, PhD, Spearhead Bio is developing a new way for crop breeders to make precise genetic improvements across a wide range of crops. The technology is already being tested in multiple crops, including cassava, an essential food-security crop in Africa.

Spearhead Bio grew out of the Danforth Center Startup Initiative, which helps move transformative plant science from the laboratory to the commercial marketplace.

The successful raise is an important milestone for Spearhead Bio and another sign of St. Louis’s strength as a global center for agtech innovation.

Congratulations to Keith, CEO Mike Bielski, and the Spearhead Bio team!

Read the full story at the link in the comments below.

To protect crops from disease, scientists need to understand what is happening inside a plant, all the way down to the level of individual cells.

A new state-of-the-art microscope at the Danforth Center will help researchers see those processes with greater speed and detail. Scientists can use it to study how plants grow, respond to heat and other stresses, interact with microbes, and defend themselves against disease.

With a grant from National Science Foundation (NSF), Principal Investigator Tessa Burch-Smith, PhD, and co-PI Kirk Czymmek, PhD, have brought this advanced imaging technology to the Danforth Center. The microscope will support research here and at collaborating universities while providing valuable hands-on training for students, interns, educators, and early-career scientists.

Take a closer look at the link in the comments below.