Plant Institute

Plant Institute

Promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation in all aspects of plant-based scientific investigation

Growing Scientific Excellence for a Better World

The Penn State Plant Institute cultivates a vibrant ecosystem of plant-focused innovation, collaboration, and impact. Our research, education, and outreach mission spans diverse disciplines, uniting students, staff, postdocs, and faculty across the entire Penn State system. We seek to cultivate:

  • Transdisciplinary Excellence: We foster interdisciplinary research by developing cutting-edge facilities, equipping researchers, and facilitating collaborative activities. Our goal is to bridge disciplines, engage stakeholders, and amplify the global beneficial impacts of plant science at Penn State
  • Engagement and Visibility: The Institute showcases the achievements of its members. We engage with the general public, Penn State administration, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the United States government, global stakeholders, and corporate partners. We promote the critical role of plant science in addressing societal challenges
  • Inspiring the Next Generation: We are passionate about attracting and supporting the next generation of plant scientists. By promoting the excitement and relevance of our field, we encourage students to explore plant science as a rewarding career path
  • Strategic Synergy: We strategically leverage existing programs that align with our goals. This collaborative approach ensures efficiency and maximizes our collective impact

News

Penn State Master Gardeners to share gardening expertise at Ag Progress Days

Whether diagnosing plant problems, identifying insects or planning a landscape, Penn State Extension Master Gardeners can help visitors tackle gardening questions with research-based advice in the Yard and Garden Area during Penn State’s Ag Progress Days, Aug. 11-13, at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs.

Fourteen interdisciplinary research teams receive 2026 IEE seed grants

Fourteen interdisciplinary research teams have received funding through the Institute of Energy and the Environment’s (IEE) 2026 Seed Grant Program. The program supports basic and applied research that lays the groundwork to pursue external funding and is guided by IEE’s five strategic research themes. This year, the program awarded seed funding to more than 40 researchers across 10 colleges and campuses and 21 departments and units.

Newly discovered corn trait may help improve crop drought tolerance

Some corn plants are genetically predisposed to develop longer, less constricted water-conducting tissues and deeper roots, which helps them deal with drought. That’s the conclusion of a team led by Penn State researchers that conducted a study of the plant’s xylem tissue that moves water upward from the roots out to the leaves. They found that corn plants with longer metaxylem vessel elements also tend to have rapidly elongating roots, deeper root systems, stronger water transport capacity, greater water capture and improved drought adaptation

News

Penn State Master Gardeners to share gardening expertise at Ag Progress Days

Whether diagnosing plant problems, identifying insects or planning a landscape, Penn State Extension Master Gardeners can help visitors tackle gardening questions with research-based advice in the Yard and Garden Area during Penn State’s Ag Progress Days, Aug. 11-13, at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs.

Fourteen interdisciplinary research teams receive 2026 IEE seed grants

Fourteen interdisciplinary research teams have received funding through the Institute of Energy and the Environment’s (IEE) 2026 Seed Grant Program. The program supports basic and applied research that lays the groundwork to pursue external funding and is guided by IEE’s five strategic research themes. This year, the program awarded seed funding to more than 40 researchers across 10 colleges and campuses and 21 departments and units.

Newly discovered corn trait may help improve crop drought tolerance

Some corn plants are genetically predisposed to develop longer, less constricted water-conducting tissues and deeper roots, which helps them deal with drought. That’s the conclusion of a team led by Penn State researchers that conducted a study of the plant’s xylem tissue that moves water upward from the roots out to the leaves. They found that corn plants with longer metaxylem vessel elements also tend to have rapidly elongating roots, deeper root systems, stronger water transport capacity, greater water capture and improved drought adaptation

Q&A: What does science say about plants as medicine?

Plants have always played an integral role in traditional medicine and healing practices, according to Kent Vrana, Elliot S. Vesell Professor of Pharmacology at Penn State College of Medicine, and they continue to shape health and medicine today. In this Q&A, Vrana discussed the relationship between plant science and human health and the growing role of plant-derived solutions in medicine.