For food crops to thrive and food security to be ensured, modern agricultural ecosystems must be equipped to meet the challenges of climate change. It is no longer enough to trim important crops for maximum yield. They also need to be resistant and stress-tolerant to heat, drought and pathogens. In the CROP project, researchers from the Institute of Biosciences and Geosciences (IBG-3) at Forschungszentrum Jülich are therefore collaborating with the University of Hohenheim to develop a new cultivation strategy for wheat.
BayWa invests in plant-based dairy alternatives
The days when conventional cow's milk was the top seller in the refrigerated section are long gone. With oat, soy and almond milk, the protein-rich beverage is getting competition from plant-based products. Plant-based alternatives are also already available for other dairy products such as yogurt. The market is thereby serving a trend that experts believe will continue in the coming years.
Reforestation without plastic waste
The bark of young trees is a feast for several inhabitants of the forest. Young plants in particular often do not survive the resulting damage. In reforestation, trees are therefore often protected by so-called growth covers: The coarse mesh material surrounds the trunk and keeps hungry mouths away. Technically, these shells should be removed after three to five years - but due to a lack of personnel and other reasons, this is not always the case. Over time, the tree covers decompose and end up as small and microplastic in nature.
Vegan egg alternative from the field bean
Whether boiled, fried or for baking: Some people find it hard to imagine an everyday life without eggs. According to the Federal Office of Food and Agriculture, 19.9 billion eggs are consumed in Germany every year. This corresponds to a per capita consumption of 239 eggs per year on average. While plant-based alternatives have long been available on the market for other animal products, there are hardly any vegan options for eggs.
"There is no easy solution to sustainably improving food systems"
From mid-2022, Martina Brockmeier will take office as President of the Leibniz Association. In recent years, she has helped to develop the University of Hohenheim into an academic bioeconomy hotspot. The agricultural economist is convinced that the bioeconomy can make a decisive contribution to achieving the global sustainability goals. In this interview, she explains how she would also like to further strengthen bioeconomy research at the Leibniz institutes.
Think tank for sustainable food innovations
The way we eat has a major impact on the environment and climate. Food production - including transport and storage - still consumes enormous amounts of water, energy and raw materials. However, the trend in food purchasing is moving toward sustainability. Regional and plant-based products are particularly in demand. Food innovations such as insect burgers or algae pasta are entering the market and showing how food production can become more environmentally friendly and sustainable in the future.
Two agricultural experts elected to head the Leibniz Association
In April of this year, the Leibniz Association's Executive Committee nominated Martina Brockmeier as a candidate for the presidency. Now the assembled members have cast their vote: With a large majority, the agricultural economist from Stuttgart was elected as the new president of the renowned research organisation on 18 November. From 1 July 2022, Brockmeier will officially assume the office for 4 years. With Barbara Sturm, the members elected another agricultural expert to head the Leibniz Association.
Cell-free protein production convinces at pitch
The prize money of 300 euros is rather symbolic, but attention is guaranteed: Kykeon Biotech won the "Founders' Pitch" of the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU) on November 10, 2021. The young team convinced the twelve investors and more than 120 online viewers with its process for the cell-free production of artificial proteins. They had to share the audience award with 'Inflatable Lunar Habitat', a project that designed a portable and inflatable research tent for use on the moon.
University of Bayreuth (2021): Diversity of ecological functions on marine islands decreases
The research team explored the previously unanswered question of whether the global mobility of species can offset the ecological consequences of human-induced species loss. The oceanic islands were chosen because they have produced a high number of endemic bird species, i.e. species that are not native to any other region of the world, and at the same time many new bird species have established themselves there – thus it is possible to observe particularly well on these islands how the combination of species loss and establishment of new species has an effect.
Symbiont supplies seagrass with nitrogen
Growing even though nutrients are scarce - in shallow coastal regions of temperate and tropical seas, seagrass faces precisely this challenge. For most of the year, there is no nitrogen in a form that the aquatic plant can utilize. Only elemental nitrogen is abundant in the sea, but seagrass cannot absorb it. Until now, it was therefore assumed that bacteria in the environment convert this nitrogen and thus provide nutrients for the neighboring plant.