{"id":28499,"date":"2020-10-28T09:36:49","date_gmt":"2020-10-28T16:36:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vermont.salk.edu\/?page_id=28499"},"modified":"2026-03-19T12:27:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T19:27:12","slug":"research","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.salk.edu\/de\/harnessing-plants-initiative\/research\/","title":{"rendered":"Forschung"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!-- [salk-video id=\"pyFcr2WcOyo\"] --><\/p>\n<p>The Salk Harnessing Plants Initiative changed how plant biologists around the world think about their work: Basic plant science can be leveraged and scaled to address major global challenges.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:35px;\">Major accomplishments<\/h2>\n<p>With five-year funding from the TED Audacious Project, Hess Corporation, Bezos Earth Fund, Sempra Energy, and others, as of May 2025 the team exceeded its goals by:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Sequencing 900 plant genomes across seven crop species, enabling targeted genetic optimization within and across crop types<\/li>\n<li>Identifying 347 candidate genes that can be harnessed to produce desired root and soil carbon-storage traits<\/li>\n<li>Developing 38 Salk Ideal Plant<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> lines across five target crops\u2014rice, canola, pennycress, soybean, and sorghum\u2014genetically optimized to capture and store more carbon than wild-type counterparts through longer, larger roots enriched with carbon-storing molecules like suberin, while also delivering co-benefits such as enhanced drought tolerance and improved soil health<\/li>\n<li>Launching Cquesta, a dedicated biotechnology spinout company, to carry out field trials and commercialize Salk Ideal Plant traits<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Current work<\/h2>\n<p>With Cquesta now working to scale Salk Ideal Plants worldwide, Salk scientists are focusing on what they do best\u2014fundamental plant science, backed by leading-edge technology. They are now using what they\u2019ve learned to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Discover and validate additional plant genes of interest, such as carbon sequestration-enhancing genes<\/li>\n<li>Develop and implement RootGPT, a Salk-created AI tool that helps scientists quickly identify and develop new and precise phenotypes, such as carbon sequestration enhancements<\/li>\n<li>Combine multiple desirable genetic traits into single crops to create a new generation of Salk Ideal Plants that have multiple beneficial characteristics, such as the ability to enrich soil and withstand drought, in addition to capturing carbon dioxide<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This work may further deepen roots and improve nature-based soil carbon capture, or scientists may discover new ways plants can be leveraged to improve our planet.<\/p>\n<p>\u2003<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><!-- [salk-video id=\"pyFcr2WcOyo\"] --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":0,"parent":22319,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-general-page.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"folder":[547],"class_list":["post-28499","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - 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