Research in the department is mainly dealing with the molecular biology and physiology of plant embryogenesis and seed development. Four research groups are focussing on the following topics:

• Global expression patterns underlying developmental processes, especially in seeds,
• Role and functional mechanisms of transcription factors, specific proteins and hormones,
• Molecular physiology of seed development with a focus on storage product synthesis,
• Asexual modes of plant reproduction (apomixis and related processes),
• Transfer of basic knowledge into applied projects: Molecular farming in sink organs and the improvement of agronomical traits,
• Analysis and visualization of data as well as process simulation and network analysis.

Experiments are preferentially carried out with cereals (barley, wheat), grain legumes (Vicia beans, pea), Arabidopsis and in specific projects tobacco (Nicotiana spec.) and other crop species.