The IPPGN researches genetics that enhance crop resilience against climate change, pests and disease
The James Hutton Institute has joined the International Plant Pangenome Network (IPPGN), to develop crops more resilient to climate pressures.
Plant pangenomics is the study of genetic diversity within a species by analysing multiple genome sequences, capturing both the genes shared by all individuals and the genetic variations that make each plant unique.
As climate change brings increasingly challenging growing conditions, and pests and diseases continue to evolve, crop breeders need a wider genetic toolkit to develop varieties that can withstand increasingly unpredictable growing conditions.
The IPPGN, which launched in January 2025, brings together scientists, researchers, industry partners and technology developers, is a collaborative community for experts to share expertise, data, tools and best practice.
The network’s research is making it possible to understand traits that underpin crop performance, resilience and productivity. This will help breeders develop varieties that are more resilient, higher yielding and better adapted to future growing conditions.
Dr Miriam Schreiber, researcher at the Hutton said, “The network has already been extremely useful in highlighting the shared challenges that colleagues working in this area are facing. It is a great place to connect with others and will no doubt lead to new collaborations and projects.”
Despite progress, there remains barriers to plant pangenomics. The study is technically challenging and complex, meaning that progress has lagged behind similar work in bacteria, humans and other animals.
One key research task is the development of better analytics tools tailored specifically to plant genomes, as many existing tools were originally designed for other organisms and do not perform well when applied to the complexity of plant genetics.
Dr Rachel Rusholme Pilcher of the Earlham Institute in Norwich, chairs the network. “The strength of the network comes from its members,” she said. “We are fortunate to have a community that is incredibly generous with its expertise, experiences and ideas. Members openly share not only what has worked in their research, but also what has not.”
