Plants have several protective strategies against insect pests: They can mechanically make it difficult for them to pierce or eat the leaves. They can make their taste or nutritional value unattractive. Or they can go one step further and produce substances that harm predators. But sometimes, in the course of evolution, insects fight back and bypass these defense methods. The cabbage white butterfly is a case in point.
From vanilla crescents to pepper nuts: Cookies and pastries are very popular at Christmas time. Many of these treats contain imported spices that only grow in faraway countries like India. As an alternative, vanilla and pepper could soon also thrive in domestic indoor farms. Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences has now paved the way for this. After two years of construction, the "Indoorfarm - Agricultural Systems of the Future" research center was officially opened at the Haste campus at the end of November.
Coat hooks are usually made from conventional plastics. Every year, up to ten billion of them are produced worldwide to display textiles such as socks, caps or scarves in fashion stores. However, only a small proportion of these are recycled. Disposable hooks in particular pose a recycling challenge due to their size. Yet this could soon change: With a textile hook made from plant-based biopolymers, traceless materials is now starting field trials for the first pilot product.
Euglenoids are found primarily in shallow and sweet waters such as ponds and village ponds, but also in the sea, brackish water or even salt lakes. The exceptionally wide distribution of these single-celled organisms makes them survival artists that have long fascinated researchers worldwide. However, of the 1,000 known species, only 20 have been studied.
Electromobility is experiencing rapid growth. However, important issues relating to the charging infrastructure for electric cars remain unresolved. Further, there will continue to be areas of application in the mobility sector for which battery-electric solutions are less suitable. Synthetic, CO2-neutral fuels could cover these areas. A team of researchers at Coburg University of Applied Sciences is now investigating another approach to producing biogenic, climate-friendly diesel.
Grain weevils eat into grain husks, lay their eggs in the grain and can thus destroy entire harvests. The light-shy weevils are mainly found in grain and storage warehouses. When there is a massive infestation of the crop, "heat nests" develop. This increases humidity and thus the risk of fungal spores attacking the grain. Experts estimate that pest infestation of stored grain causes millions of dollars in damage worldwide. So far, there are hardly any ways to control the pests efficiently - certainly not without chemical insecticides.
In 2020, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded for the discovery of the CRISPR/Cas gene scissors. The awarding of the prize took place only shortly after the actual date of discovery - a sign of high relevance. The gene scissors make it possible to edit genetic material with extreme precision. Applications range from the treatment of hereditary diseases to the rapid adaptation of important food crops to climate change. However, CRISPR in its original form is not a process devised by humans, but a natural mechanism.
Agricultural and forestry raw materials and residues have enormous potential for a sustainable bioeconomy. These include waste such as bark, wood residues, straw or grass, but also plants that grow on meadows and pastures. The utilization of grassland cuttings for the bioeconomy in the sense of a circular economy is the focus of the ProGrün project. Researchers at the University of Hohenheim want to establish the proteins contained in grassland cuttings as a new resource - for example, for animal feed, food or platform chemicals.
The DFG has been supporting cutting-edge research at German universities for years. In the coming year, more than a dozen new collaborations will again be funded: The research organization is making a total of 166 million euros available for 13 Collaborative Research Centers (CRCs), initially for the next four years. Bioeconomy research will also benefit from the millions in funding.