China launches international Plant Planet Project to decode plant genomes

An international large-scale scientific initiative, the Plant Planet Project, jointly launched by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and 49 domestic and international institutions, was officially unveiled in Beijing on Wednesday.

The project brings together 49 leading research institutions from 15 countries and regions. By integrating artificial intelligence algorithms and models, it aims to decode the genetic blueprints of major terrestrial plant lineages and map a complete tree of life for plants, addressing global challenges such as food security, biodiversity conservation, new drug discovery, and sustainable development.

According to Wang Li, a principal investigator of the project and a researcher at the Shenzhen Institute of Agricultural Genomics of CAAS, plants have evolved into an extraordinary diversity of forms over billions of years. However, fragmented and incomplete genomic data have left many key evolutionary relationships unresolved, significantly limiting humanity's understanding and application of plant diversity, adaptability and functional potential. 

Wang said, the initiative seeks to fill these gaps by sampling plant orders and families that currently lack reference genomes, fundamentally clarifying the evolutionary relationships and divergence timelines among all major plant groups to construct a complete plant tree of life.

Wang also noted that once implemented, the project will enable more efficient identification of genetically vulnerable and endangered species than traditional field monitoring methods, allowing for more accurate assessments of extinction risk and providing a scientific basis for biodiversity evaluation and robust conservation policymaking. In addition, by fully exploring genes related to disease resistance, drought tolerance and salinity tolerance in plants, the project could support the development of more climate-resilient "future crops," strengthening global food security.

The Plant Planet Project is also expected to enhance global ecological capacity for biodiversity conservation and carbon neutrality, while fostering a new framework for international collaboration on major scientific challenges in plant science.