Through new discoveries in biology, technological innovation, and social science research, CROPPS is transforming how we interact with plants and their environments. Our work bridges disciplines to create more sustainable, resilient, and productive agricultural systems.
Five core research themes guide our mission, shaping the tools, insights, and collaborations needed to address the complex challenges of modern agriculture.
Our work uncovers how plants send and receive signals, from the molecular level to ecosystems. By studying these processes, we create biological and technological prototypes that improve our understanding of plant systems and their role in agriculture.
We focus on real-world applications, integrating plant behavior with field environments. By creating tools that allow plants to share insights about their health, nutrition, and productivity, we’re advancing sustainable solutions for agriculture.
We develop cutting-edge tools and technologies to enhance plant communication and function. By advancing biotechnology, materials engineering, and automation, this theme drives innovation and provides the foundation for new ways to interact with plants.
We examine the societal and ethical dimensions of plant science, engaging stakeholders and communities to ensure our research reflects diverse needs and values. This theme bridges science and society, shaping priorities and guiding innovation in meaningful ways.
We develop integrated hardware, software, and computational models to explore the deep biology of plants in the field. By using sensors and robotics, this theme enables real-time interaction with plant systems, advancing agriculture across diverse environments.
Interdisciplinary teams with combined expertise in plant science and technology development (synthetic biology, nanotechnology, optics, robotics, and advanced computing) will host and mentor CROPPS REU participants. Working with the team, undergraduate participants will learn about and take part in our research, and contribute to the development of technologies that will enable seamless bidirectional communication between plants and people.
CROPPS research is conducted with major support from the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DBI-2019674.
CROPPS develops tools to listen to and communicate with plants and the associated organisms that comprise their microbiomes. These programmable plant systems will generate foundational discoveries with long-term impacts on sustainability, productivity, and profitability.
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