Researchers at the Max-Plank Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology (MPI-MP) have now found a way to produce the natural compounds found in soya beans and grapes en mass to be used in medicine. The scientists used the tomato as a natural medicine factory.
Now bio-engineers from Halle have found a way of manufacturing carnosic acid using biotechnology. As the team reports in the scientific journal 'Nature Communications', they do that by using reprogrammed yeast as a cell factory. With its powerful aroma, rosemary counts as one of the most popular kitchen herbs. The cause of the distinctive taste is the vegetable substance carnosic acid. It is also found in sage leaves.
In July 2013, the German Federal Government has been put structures in place to facilitate the development of a biobased economy by means of the "National Policy Strategy Bioeconomy".
Whether in ice cream, pizza, chocolate or biodiesel, palm oil is one of the world's most versatile plant-based oils. That makes it one of the most important raw materials for the bio-based economy. Demand today is higher than ever. About 60 million tonnes of palm oil and palm-kernel oil are produced annually. The area cultivated worldwide is 17 million hectares, about half the land mass of Germany. Around 1.8 million tonnes of palm oil are consumed each year here. The lion's share, 41 per cent, is used in the manufacturing of biodiesel.
Light vehicles that consume little and are therefore less environmentally problematical – that is how the car of the future should be. The foundation for next-generation-but-one vehicle technology has just been laid in the car manufacturing city of Wolfsburg. In the presence of Federal Minister of Research Johanna Wanka, the LeichtbauCampus Open Hybrid Lab Factory was inaugurated at a location not far from the headquarters of VW.
They have names like field bindweed, ragweed or couch grass – but poppies and corncockle count amongst them as well. For farmers, all these plants are weeds. Nature conservationists, on the other hand, speak of wild herbs or 'arable flora'. Many weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides, hindering the growth of actual crops in the process. The consequences can already be measured in terms of lower harvests.
Researchers from Karlsruhe have now uncovered how clover and fungi 'make friends' with each other. The thread-like fungal hyphae of the mycorrhiza permeate the soil and lead to increased root growth, as the team reports in the scientific journal Current Biology (2016, online publication). Fungi such as downy mildew or grey mould are a plague for both hobby gardeners as well as farmers.
Berlin-based Organobalance specializes in developing natural microbial solutions for customers and partners across a number of industries.
This acquisition is the biggest of its kind by a German firm. Bayer's acquisition of Monsanto for 66 billion US dollars is now set to go ahead. The regulators have yet to approve the deal, however. According to the German chemical corporation, it is willing to pay 128 dollars per share, valuing Monsanto at 66 billion dollars. That works out at about 58.8 billion euros. Data from financial news agency Bloomberg indicate that this is the second-largest cash acquisition in world history.
Deforestation and climate change are putting more and more pressure on the forest ecosystem. Not only are the habitats of many animals under threat, the capacity of forests to absorb CO2 and emit oxygen is diminishing as well. A comprehensive international study now reveals the positive influence of biodiversity on global forest productivity.