In times of extreme climate change, plant diseases and pests are increasingly reducing yields worldwide. One of the most important food crops, wheat, is also affected. The fungal disease 'Wheat Blast' in particular has become increasingly widespread in recent years and could pose a serious threat to global wheat production. An international research team led by Munich agricultural scientist Senthold Asseng has now modeled for the first time how the devastating fungal disease will affect wheat production as a result of climate change.

Around a third of global greenhouse gas emissions are caused by the way in which land is farmed and food is produced. Above all, meat consumption and the associated animal husbandry contribute to climate-damaging emissions and require a rethink in agriculture. A global report on the economics of agricultural and food systems shows how the global economy would benefit from a food transition.

Last summer, the EU Commission proposed exempting certain genome-edited plants from the scope of EU genetic engineering legislation and thus facilitating their market access. The planned relaxation only affects plants that have been developed using new genomic technologies (NGT) such as the CRISPR-Cas gene scissors and are considered equivalent to conventionally bred plants, i.e. do not contain any foreign genes. This category is called NGT-1 plants.

Due to their diverse ingredients, algae are not only interesting for the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. They can also be used to dye textiles and as a raw material supplier for the production of biopolymers. The Berlin start-up Vyld is the first to use the potential of seaweed for the production of sustainable hygiene products. The aim is to develop menstrual products. The non-profit company has now secured fresh capital from investors in an early-stage financing round.

The market for vegetarian and vegan products is booming. According to the Federal Statistical Office, 104,300 tons of meat substitute products were produced in Germany in 2022 - an increase of around 17% compared to the previous year. So far, plant-based proteins made from wheat or pulses such as peas and soy have dominated the market for meat-free alternatives. Biotech start-up Infinite Roots, on the other hand, uses mycelia from mushrooms to produce vegan meat substitutes.

Whether heat, drought or flooding: Weather extremes put food crops such as wheat under stress and increasingly lead to crop failures. In addition to research into new resistant varieties that can withstand the effects of climate change and secure food supplies, diagnostic tools are needed to detect climate-related stress symptoms or diseases in plants at an early stage. Two imaging methods that have proven their worth in human medicine should also provide a remedy in agriculture in the future.

The agricultural and food industry is in a state of transition. Not only climate change, but also the increasing demand for healthy and sustainably produced products as well as new regulations and laws are forcing the industry to act. Specialists in the agricultural and food industry must therefore increasingly take international and interdisciplinary contexts into account. The Technical University of Munich (TUM) wants to address this development with a new Master's degree course in agriculture.

According to estimates, more than 900 million tons of residual biomass are produced throughout the European Union every year. Only a small proportion of this is recycled and fermented in biogas plants, for example. The majority, around 98%, ends up in, incineration plants or landfill sites. But this is now set to change.

Whether in the construction of buildings, the extraction and transportation of raw materials or the production of building materials such as concrete, the construction industry produces enormous amounts of greenhouse gases and, according to the Federal Environment Agency, consumes more than 70% of all raw materials mined in Germany. To conserve resources and the environment in equal measure, renewable building materials such as wood, straw and hemp are becoming increasingly important.