Agriculture sciences

Jonagold, Boskop or Elstar: apples are the Germans' favorite fruit. There are almost 2,000 different varieties in the country. The fruit has few calories, but many healthy ingredients such as vitamins and minerals. Researchers at Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences have developed an apple that is even richer in one health-promoting ingredient and is also said to strengthen the immune system. The innovation: The new fruit called Selstar impresses with a particularly high selenium content.

Competition is part of the natural environment: animals compete for food sources while plants mainly compete for light, which is essential to their growth. Similar to animals, plants have several options of how to react in the face of competition. Biologists from the University of Tübingen have now demonstrated that plants can in fact choose between alternative competitive responses according to the stature and densities of their opponents.

Sharp teeth and spiky stings are a common defense mechanism across the animal kingdom. However, plants are using thorns and spikes as well, to ward off herbivores and insects. And now botanists of Bonn University found out that the use of calcium phosphate incrustations to strengthen their defences is far more widespread among plants than previously thought.

The wide-spread disappaerance of insects has many causes, including environmental toxins and climate change. But regarding the high bee mortality of the past years, there is another culprit: the Varroa mite. This parasite has infected almost all bee colonies. The mites suck at the larvae and bees and weaken them. In addition, the Varroa mite also transmits pathogens.

The so-called heterosis effect is not only well-known among plant breeders, but also very popular. It describes the fact that a crossbreed of two maize inbred lines provides a significantly higher yield than either of the two parent plants. However, until now it has been unclear which molecular mechanisms this effect is based on.

An estimated 300 soil researchers came together in Berlin for the BonaRes conference from February 26 to 28 to discuss their newest findings regarding the soil.

New concepts for the cultivation of food in urban environments are in demand to ensure food security for future generations. Under the umbrella term"urban farming", methods like aquaponics have proven to be a promising alternative. The combination of fish and plants, which use each other in a recirculation system to grow tomatoes and lettuce, not only saves arable land, but above all fertilizer and water. Fish excretion is processed into plant fertilizer by bacteria. In return, the hydroponic plants purify the water of the fish in the aquarium.

Globalization has many advantages for humans and technology. But for flora and fauna the mixing of native with foreign organisms can be dangerous. Because non-indigenous animal and plant species often have no natural enemies. Therefore, they spread unhindered and decimate the resources for native species. 

The European Investment Bank (EIB) announced the launch of a new financing initiative that aims to unlock close to €1 billion of investment in the agriculture and bioeconomy sector. This large EIB lending programme for agriculture and bioeconomy outlines the Bank’s broader support for funding this sector. The operation will be guaranteed by the EU budget under the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), which forms a central part of the “Investment Plan for Europe” of the European Commission under the Juncker administration.

There are two sides to everything – even carbon dioxide (CO₂): on the one hand the rapid increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentration due to the burning of fossil fuels causes intensification of the greenhouse effect, which in turn fuels global warming. On the other hand, CO₂ is essential to keep plants, algae and some bacteria alive: they convert the greenhouse gas into biomass in a process known as photosynthesis, in which CO₂ and water are used to produce sugars and oxygen.