Rye belongs to the sweet grass family and is particularly impressive due to its frost resistance and high yields, even on nutrient-poor soils or under drought stress. This means that the plant could play an important role in food security in the future. A recent study by researchers at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) and Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) now provides new insights into the reproduction of rye.

Oats are one of the most important crops and offer a wide range of uses. However, like many other crops, today's oat varieties face major challenges: heat, drought and new diseases are taking their toll. In order to breed more resistant varieties, a precise understanding of their genes is required. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Helmholtz Munich and the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) have now succeeded in doing just that. Together with international partners, they have decoded the pangenome of 33 oat lines.

Methanol is a valuable synthetic raw material in the chemical industry, which is also used as a solvent and fuel. In future, methanol produced from plant-based raw materials and residues could replace some of the chemicals currently based on fossil raw materials. This is where the ‘biogeniV’ alliance, funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) as part of the ‘WIR! – Innovation and Structural Change’ programme, comes in.

Farmers around the world are struggling with the consequences of climate change. In addition to heat and drought, pests are causing crop losses. The EU-funded research project ‘UPSCALE’, led by Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU), shows how food security can be ensured and agriculture made sustainable and resilient in East Africa. The international consortium of 19 partners in ten countries is developing and testing agroecological strategies to make agricultural systems more resilient and sustainable.

Weed control is a major challenge in organic vegetable farming. Since chemical herbicides are not used, weeds usually have to be removed by hand. This work is very time-consuming and cost-intensive, especially on large areas. The JaetRobi project from the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy in Potsdam (ATB) and the Technical University (TU) of Berlin aims to remedy this situation: a module is set to make manual weeding a thing of the past. 

Ethylene is one of the most important raw materials in the chemical industry and is used, among other things, in the production of numerous plastics such as polyethylene (PE). However, the production of platform chemicals based on fossil raw materials generates large amounts of greenhouse gases. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg and the Technical University of Kaiserslautern have now discovered a bacterial enzyme that could be the key to sustainable ethylene production without CO₂ emissions.

Land is a scarce and expensive resource. Whether in urban or rural areas, interests often diverge widely when it comes to land use, as demands range from species protection to food production and recreation. In addition, conventional agricultural practices exacerbate global crises such as biodiversity loss, climate change and food security uncertainties. Multifunctional landscapes could be one solution, as researchers from the Universities of Göttingen and Kassel show in a recent study.

Glycolate – also known as glycolic acid – is a basic chemical and serves as a starting material for the production of preservatives, polymers and medicines. Until now, the substance has been obtained from fossil raw materials, some of which are toxic. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology (FEP) in Dresden, Chemnitz University of Technology and Leipzig University are currently developing a sustainable process for glycolate production as part of the PhotoKon project.

Organic farming is a climate-friendly form of agriculture. It deliberately avoids the use of pesticides. Instead, organic fertilisers and adapted crop rotations are used to promote plant growth and protect them from disease. However, organic farming also suffers from the consequences of climate change, such as drought and heat. A new study involving the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) offers organic farms a solution for achieving sufficient yields even in drought conditions while protecting the environment.