For researchers, plant characteristics such as growth height, seed size, photosynthetic performance or flower color are crucial factors in finding out how plants adapt to their environment or how they can respond to future climatic changes. However, it it is not only the appearance of a plant that is crucial for its development, but also the invisible part - the root system. So what does the appearance of the plant reveal about the roots? Is there a connection between the upper and lower features?

Contributing to the idea of a circular bioeconomy, the Hamburg-based start-up traceless materials has developed a bio-based material that leaves no trace in the environment but is compostable and can therefore be disposed of in organic waste. The young company is now receiving a grant of 2.4 million euros from the European Innovation Council (EIC) to further develop its technology.

About four kilograms of microplastics per person enter the environment every year in Germany as a result of washing synthetic fibers. The tiny particles then enter waterways via wastewater, where they are ingested by fish. However, some aquatic animals have a filter system in their gills that separates food particles from the water and thus also filters out microplastics.

The new Phytotechnikum at the University of Hohenheim addresses climate research and bioeconomics: Computer-controlled climate control and automatic irrigation, fine regulation for light intensity, humidity and temperature as well as variable lighting technology enable the Stuttgart researchers to work more flexibly in a wide range of fields. Climate change, biodiversity, world nutrition, bioenergy, renewable raw materials and plant health are topics that can be studied in the glass high-tech greenhouse on a wide variety of plants, including exotic ones.

Earlier this year, Peter H. Seeberger was awarded the International Green Chemistry Prize for the production of a sustainable and cost-effective antimalarial agent. Now the biochemist from the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam wants to drive structural change in Lusatia in Saxony and the Central German mining region together with his team.

Not only are petroleum-based plastics ecologically problematic, but also those that don't break down well in nature - because that's where a majority of them still end up. Agricultural mulch films, for example, are even deliberately used in the environment, where they usually leave behind residues. In the future, such products are therefore to be replaced by biodegradable plastics. But what exactly happens during degradation in the soil - and will it still work under changed climatic conditions?

Agricultural residues range from wheat and grapevines to hemp, hops, tomatoes and zucchini. A novel fiber technology, developed by CleanTech start-up BIO-LUTIONS and Zelfo Technology GmbH, enables this rich array of plant residues to be processed into sustainable products such as packaging and disposable tableware. For this, the developer duo from Schwedt was awarded the Brandenburg Innovation Prize in the plastics and chemistry category.