NEXT.BIO 2025 - Enhancing food production through AI driven plant genomics

​​​​​In October 2025, A16Z #SFTechWeek will once again take over San Francisco. We are organizing NEXT.BIO, a world-class week long tech conference featuring the best startups, industry leaders and investors in AI x BIO across a series of Tech Events, a unique Hackathon and a DEMO Day 🚀 ​

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​​​​This event is one of our Tech Event series part of the full-week conference.

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​​🧩 Suggested Themes & Challenges:

• ​Genomic Data Analysis
  Analyze plant genome sequences to identify genes linked to traits like drought resistance or disease susceptibility.

• ​AI in Plant Phenotyping
  Develop machine learning models to predict plant traits from genomic data or images.

• ​CRISPR Design Tools
  Create software to design CRISPR guides for targeted gene editing in plants.

• ​Sustainable Agriculture Solutions
  Use genomic insights to propose methods for improving crop yield and resilience.

• ​Educational Tools
  Design interactive platforms to teach plant genomics concepts to students and the public.

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​What is are the plants genomics available datasets?

​Leading Genomic & Multi-Omics Datasets:

• ​1001 Genomes Project (Arabidopsis thaliana):

• ​Offers whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data for 1,135 natural inbred accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana, with VCFs, SNP matrices, and pseudogenomes available for download. 1001genomes.org1001genomes.org

• ​Includes epigenetic (methylome) and transcriptomic data: ~1,107 methylomes and ~1,203 transcriptomes from overlapping accessions. PubMedviennabiocenter.orgCell

• ​This makes it a standout dataset for exploring genome–epigenome–transcriptome interplays. viennabiocenter.orgCellPubMedNature

• ​Community threads confirm:

​“The Arabidopsis 1001 genomes project contains both WGBS and WGS data for many of their accessions.” Reddit

• ​AGP: Arabidopsis Genomics-Phenomics Dataset:

• ​A cutting-edge, multi-modal dataset released in August 2025 that for the first time integrates gene expression profiles with phenotypic trait measurements for the same Arabidopsis thaliana specimens.

• ​Designed especially for machine learning tasks, like phenotype prediction and graph-based modeling. arXiv

​Foundational Databases for Comparative & Crop Genomics

• ​Phytozome: A comprehensive repository of plant genomic data across numerous green plant species—excellent for comparative genomics with integrated annotations. cd-genomics.com

• ​Ensembl Plants (part of Ensembl Genomes): Provides genome sequences and annotated data for dozens of key plant species such as Arabidopsis, rice, maize, wheat, grape, and more, all accessible through tools like BioMart. Wikipediaplants.ensembl.org

• ​Species‐Specific Databases:

• ​TAIR (Arabidopsis): Genome annotations, gene function, variants, phenotypes, and seed stock info. Public data is released after one year; subscriptions required for immediate access. Wikipedia

• ​SoyBase: In-depth SNP, genetic maps, QTL, and functional genomic data for soybean (Glycine max). Wikipedia

• ​SolGenomics Network, CassavaBase, CucurbitDB, YamBase, etc.: Tailored for specific crop families like nightshade, cucurbits, banana, radish, etc. Boyce Thompson Institute

• ​PlantPan (Pan-Genomics): A pan-genome database that spans 195 genomes in 11 plant species, with extensive gene clusters, variance data, synteny, functional annotations (GO, KEGG, TFs, etc.). PMC

• ​PGP Repository (Plant Phenomics and Genomics): A German EU-funded infrastructure allowing publication and long-term DOI citable storage of large-scale multi-domain plant genomics and phenomics data, fully compliant with FAIR principles. Wikipedia+1

• ​Earth BioGenome Project / 10KP Pilot: Ambitious planetary-scale effort: as of late 2024, 2,000+ plant species have chromosome-level assemblies. These ecosystems-scale datasets pave the way for massive comparative studies.