Indianapolis, Indiana – In a world where climate change, shrinking biodiversity, and food insecurity increasingly challenge modern agriculture, researchers are searching for smarter and more sustainable ways to produce crops. One such innovator is Roger Innes, a Distinguished Professor of Biology at Indiana University, whose groundbreaking work in plant immune systems is not only reshaping how scientists understand plant health—but may also significantly increase crop yields while reducing the cost burden on farmers.
With more than 30 years of research behind him, Innes has steadily worked toward a bold and hopeful goal: enabling farmers to produce more food while relying less on chemicals that harm ecosystems. His work focuses on how plants naturally defend themselves, and how scientists can harness that knowledge to outwit pests and pathogens—without the heavy use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.
“Our current agricultural practices are not sustainable,” Innes said. “The decline in insect and pollinator populations is largely a result of agriculture. Toxins from pesticides accumulate in our groundwater. It also drastically alters ecosystems. Through genetics, we think we can develop pathogen-resistant crops without having to rely on chemical inputs.”
At the heart of Innes’ vision is a compelling idea: what if, by boosting plant immunity through genetics and biology, we could significantly cut our reliance on pesticides? That could allow entire regions—like half of the American Midwest, Innes suggests—to be returned to natural prairie, helping restore ecosystems and absorb more carbon from the atmosphere.
“Imagine that we could return half of the Midwest to prairie. We could increase the planet’s ability to capture carbon, restore our insect populations and restore our ecosystems to a better balance,” Innes said.
This is not just poetic musing; it’s a future that may be scientifically achievable thanks to discoveries emerging from the Roger Innes Lab at IU Bloomington.
Innes’ research zeroes in on the immune systems of plants—how they detect threats, activate defenses, and keep diseases at bay. One of the major targets in his lab’s work is a common agricultural enemy: the soybean cyst nematode, a parasitic worm responsible for over $1.5 billion in annual soybean crop losses across the United States.
In collaboration with the Baum Lab at Iowa State University, Innes and his team identified a protein in the nematode that weakens the host plant’s immune system, allowing the parasite to invade more easily. Understanding this interaction opens the door to genetically modifying soybean plants—or other crops—to better recognize and respond to such attacks.
“Plant immune systems work sort of like an alarm system on a house,” Innes explained. “In most alarm systems, there are sensors on windows and doors that can detect when damage has been done to the house.”
In a similar fashion, plants contain specialized proteins that detect signs of attack or damage. When scientists can figure out how a pathogen disables or bypasses that detection, they can begin developing ways to reprogram plants to fight back more effectively.
And this innovation doesn’t stop at soybeans.
“One of the things I think is most exciting about Roger’s work is that they’ve taken that basic knowledge of how the plant immune system works and can hack it,” said Craig Pikaard, another Distinguished Professor of Biology at Indiana University. “They understand it well enough to actually engineer plants to respond to things they don’t normally respond to, including some really problematic pests.”
Innes is no stranger to recognition in the world of plant science. He was recently elected to the National Academy of Sciences as a 2025 member for his “distinguished and ongoing achievements in original research.” He is also a fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Microbiology, and he’s been a senior editor for The Plant Cell, one of the most respected journals in plant biology.
Pikaard noted that Innes is widely respected across the international scientific community. “If you work in plants as I do, anywhere you travel, people know Roger,” he said. “He raises the caliber of what IU is known for.”
Beyond his own research, Innes has also made it a priority to mentor the next generation of scientists. His lab has trained dozens of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers—many of whom have gone on to launch successful careers of their own.
“Roger is like a sponge,” said Meenu Singla-Rastogi, a postdoctoral researcher in the Innes Lab. “He’s always open to new ideas and pursuing them with enthusiasm.”
Singla-Rastogi, who earned her Ph.D. in plant immunity from Sorbonne University and the Institut de Biologie de l’École Normale Supérieure, joined the lab in 2021. Since then, she and fellow researcher Lucía Borniego made another major discovery under Innes’ guidance—this time involving RNA secretion on plant leaves.
Their study, with Innes as the corresponding author, found that plants secrete RNA on their surfaces, which functions somewhat like RNA in the human gut. The RNA helps shape the plant’s microbiome, essentially regulating which bacteria can survive and helping the plant resist infection. This finding not only expands understanding of plant immune systems—it may also lead to new insights into animal and human health.
“He’s very supportive scientifically,” Singla-Rastogi said. “He provides his students and trainees with all the tools that we need for our experiments, but he also gives us the positive energy and the time we need to discuss our work.”
Perhaps one of the most remarkable aspects of Innes’ career is the long-term ripple effect of his work. While many researchers make significant contributions, few create the kind of institutional knowledge and mentorship culture that outlives their own lab tenure. For Innes, that seems to be part of the plan.
“Roger doesn’t just get scientific satisfaction from his own research; he gives his students the resources to go on and build independent research groups,” said Singla-Rastogi. “He has built a bridge so that 30 years down the line, I can see myself still working on these ideas.”
As agriculture faces growing pressure to feed more people with fewer resources, while also reducing environmental harm, Innes’ research offers a timely and optimistic roadmap forward. By strengthening plants from the inside out—rather than dousing fields with chemicals—his work represents a shift toward smarter, more sustainable farming that benefits everyone from the smallest pollinators to global food markets.
For farmers, the promise of increased crop yields and lower input costs is as practical as it is revolutionary. And for science, the work of Roger Innes is a reminder that innovation often grows best when it is deeply rooted in nature.
