In each of billions of individual plant cells, tens of thousands of proteins work together to metabolize thousands of molecules to use these sequestered sugars and build stable cell walls, keeping open channels for communication and transport throughout the plant. Underground – in addition to getting water, the roots work to obtain crucial nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, via transporters, specialized structures and enzymes, and through symbiotic partnerships with a wide variety of micro-organisms.

In the African Plant Systems biology for the Bioeconomy programme (APSB) we use systems biology, evo-devo approaches, genome engineering and synthetic biology to study important traits in African plants of ecological and economic importance. This includes how plants acquire, manage and invest sequestered carbon to adapt to low-nutrient environments, and create superior plant biomass.