Knowing what is useful - Plant research and plant breeding for food security and our society

The Gregor Mendel Foundation honors the founder of systematic plant breeding and modern biology on the occasion of his 200th birthday. With his tireless drive to research, Mendel produced revolutionary findings in line with the motto "Do not research without doubt, do not doubt without research" and thus laid the foundation for the development of plant sciences as well as for food security and peace in Europe.

During the ceremony, scientists from the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) Prof. Dr. Nils Stein and Dr. Martin Mascher will receive this year's Gregor Mendel Innovation Award for "Knowing what is useful". By decoding the complex genomes of wheat, barley and rye, they have developed methods and strategies for recording and describing the genetic diversity of these crop species and making it available to interested users. This is of great value for practical breeding and the development of climate-adapted and efficient varieties - for food security and society!

The Crop Trust and the Gesellschaft für Pflanzenzüchtung e.V. are the sponsors for this event.