This is done via projects in the field of the regulation of the light processes of photosynthesis, the regulation of the carbohydrate metabolism, the polymers of the plant wall, their formation and function, gene silencing, cyanogene glucosides, and finally, glucosinolates. Using molecular biological methods, it is possible to change individual biosynthesis pathways and their regulation and interaction with other such pathways. The effect of these deliberate changes to the genetic background of the plant are then studied at whole plant level in transgenic plants. This provides a link between detailed knowledge of biochemical processes at the molecular level and their significance on the growth of the whole plant and its development in interaction with the environment. The significance of plants Original basic research in areas specific to plants expands scientific knowledge.
Plants are of vital importance to the maintenance of conditions favourable to life on earth.
Knowledge at the molecular level will increasingly contribute to our understanding of the physiology of the whole plant. Moreover, plants are an important raw material for both the food and non-food sectors of Danish industry. The use of plants as factories for producing new biological materials with tailor-made properties increases the crop value. Their potential for exploitation is inhibited by lack of knowledge of the desired enzymes and their functional interplay with the ordinary metabolism of the plant.