Duration: 10/01/2026 to 09/30/2031

Administrative Advisor(s):

NIFA Reps:

Non-Technical Summary

Statement of Issues and Justification

The Need 

The North Central (NC) committee, Lipids In Plants: Improving and Developing Sustainability of Crops (“LIPIDS of Crops”), will continue to collaborate to elucidate lipid-related metabolism and traits relevant for crop improvement and to develop crops with enhanced yield, resilience to biotic and abiotic stress, and improved nutritional and industrial quality. This multistate project directly supports the USDA Science and Research Strategy 2023–2026, aligning with the priority areas of Accelerating Innovative Technologies and Practices, Driving Climate-Smart Solutions, and Bolstering Nutrition Security and Health. 

Lipids are central to plant structure, metabolism, and signaling and are crucial determinants of how plants grow, develop, and respond to environmental challenges. Plant-derived oils and lipid-based compounds are vital not only for human and animal nutrition but also for renewable industrial applications that advance the U.S. bio-based economy. Despite their importance, many aspects of lipid metabolism, regulation, and function remain poorly understood, limiting opportunities to enhance crop productivity and quality, advances that are essential for ensuring an adaptive, nutritious, and economically strong agricultural system that benefits all Americans. 

 

The Importance of the Work 

Each plant is a biochemical factory that converts sunlight and carbon dioxide into thousands of metabolites, many of which are lipids. These include membrane-forming phospholipids, glycolipids and sterols, protective cuticular waxes and cutin monomers, seed oils, signaling molecules, plant (phyto-) hormones, and pigments essential for photosynthesis and stress tolerance. Despite their biological and economic importance, lipids are the least explored central metabolites. 

Greater insight into lipid metabolism will unlock opportunities to develop climate-resilient, nutrient-dense, and value-added crops, supporting USDA’s goals of improving nutrition security, reducing environmental impact, and strengthening rural economies. Many genes predicted to encode lipid-metabolizing enzymes have unknown functions, and the regulatory networks through which lipid signals control plant development and stress responses are still being defined. Addressing these knowledge gaps is essential for both resilient agriculture and innovative crop biotechnology, ensuring that U.S. agriculture remains globally competitive while contributing to a sustainable bioeconomy. 

 

The Technical Feasibility of the Research 

The LIPIDS of Crops team integrate complementary expertise in lipidomics, biochemistry, plant physiology, genomics, and biotechnology. Members will employ and advance state-of-the-art analytical methods, including high-resolution mass spectrometry, imaging-based lipid mapping, and metabolic flux analysis, to characterize lipid pathways and their roles in plant performance. By refining these technologies and standardizing lipid analytical pipelines across institutions, the project will help meet USDA’s objective to accelerate innovation and translate research into action. 

Research approaches will include genetic, biochemical, and physiological analyses of lipid-related traits and their impact on yield and stress tolerance. Improved analytical capacity and collaborative data sharing will enable discovery-driven advances in lipid metabolism and the development of crops optimized through marker-assisted breeding and biotechnological transformation. 

 

The Advantages of Doing the Work as a Multistate Effort 

Conducting this project as a multistate effort maximizes efficiency, collaboration, and innovation, key tenets of the USDA Science and Research Strategy. The North Central Region has a high concentration of leading plant lipid researchers and shared access to advanced analytical facilities. By coordinating expertise, data, and instrumentation, the group will catalyze progress that no single institution could achieve independently. The multistate framework also facilitates training and mentorship, broadening participation in cutting-edge agricultural research across different institutions. 

 

Likely Impacts of the Work 

The outcomes of this renewal will include: 

• A strengthened, collaborative research network focused on plant lipid metabolism and its role in sustainable agriculture. 

• Accelerated innovation in lipidomics and other analytical technologies for crop improvement. 

• Deeper mechanistic understanding of lipid-mediated regulation of plant growth, development, and stress responses. 

• Development of crops with improved yield and quality to enhance food, feed, and bio-based product markets. 

• Tangible contributions to USDA’s goals of climate-smart agriculture, nutrition security, and enhancing the bio-economy. 

Related, Current and Previous Work

Objectives

1. Method development and systems analysis to characterize lipid metabolism
   
2. Identify lipid-related mechanisms to increase agricultural resilience
   
3. Develop crops with improved yield and/or functionality
   

Methods

Measurement of Progress and Results

Outputs

Outcomes or Projected Impacts

Milestones

Projected Participation

View Appendix E: Participation

Outreach Plan

Organization/Governance

Literature Cited

Attachments

Land Grant Participating States/Institutions

KS, LA, MA, MO, NE, NV, WA

Non Land Grant Participating States/Institutions

Danforth Plant Science Center, Texas A&M University