IPSiM (Institute for Plant Sciences of Montpellier) is a Joint Research Unit supported by four institutions : CNRS, INRAE, Institut Agro, and the University of Montpellier. Its research activity aims at elucidating the fundamental mechanisms that govern the water and mineral nutrition of plants, and their responses to abiotic environmental constraints, including those due to climate change.
Our objective is dual: to understand better the organization and functioning of plants; to contribute to the development of a sustainable agriculture, that saves natural resources and respects the environment.
For this, we develop an Integrative Biology approach. We combine multidisciplinary (genomics, biophysics, molecular biology, modelling) and multiscale (from gene to whole plant) approaches on various plant species (model and crop plants). Our projects address how the development and physiological functions of organs are coordinated, with an especially recognized expertise on roots. The aim is to determine how this coordination leads to an integrated response of plants to environmental constraints and how it governs plant growth.
