Agriculture sciences

How can agriculture become more sustainable with the help of intelligent digitalisation without sacrificing yields? Researchers at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn have been working on this question for several years as part of the PhenoRob Cluster of Excellence. With the development of software that can simulate the future growth of cultivated crops, the team is once again demonstrating the potential of digitalisation.

Sustainable, efficient and resilient production systems in agriculture are of fundamental importance on the way to a functioning sustainable bioeconomy. The Coordination and Support Action (CSA) "Green ERA-Hub", launched in September 2022 and funded by the European Commission, represents 15 former and still active EU initiatives from the fields of agriculture, food production and biotechnology.

Boost for protein and plant research at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU). The German Research Foundation (DFG) has approved the new Collaborative Research Centre (SFB) 1664 "Diversity of Plant Proteoforms - SNP2Prot". The university will receive around 12.5 million euros for the first funding period, which will last just under four years.

The abbreviation "BonaRes" stands for "soil as a sustainable resource for the bioeconomy". This funding initiative launched by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in 2015 focuses on the sustainable use of soil as a scarce resource.

Climate change, global population growth and urbanisation: our food and agricultural systems are facing a multitude of complex challenges. New solutions are needed for sustainable, resource-efficient and adaptable agricultural production. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) wants to play an active role in shaping the transformation towards a sustainable, future-proof agricultural and food industry.

Algae on the beach are rather annoying. However, these unloved aquatic plants are not only important for the marine ecosystem, as they can filter pollutants. Algae are also a valuable raw material for the bioeconomy for the production of food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, biomaterials and biofuels. In order to utilise this potential, microalgae have so far been cultivated in plants on land. Algae farms in the sea are barely established in this country.

Floods, drought and heat are making life increasingly difficult for farmers in this country. Important ecosystem services such as water supply and soil fertility are being impaired by climate change, resulting in crop losses. One way to counter the crisis is regenerative agriculture. Here, the focus is on measures to regenerate soil and soil organisms and to preserve biodiversity. Instead of intensive cultivation, tillage is reduced and the soil is covered by permanent planting.

Whether fertilisers, pesticides or heavy agricultural machinery: Intensive farming is partly responsible for the global extinction of species. Experts have therefore long been advising farmers to use crop rotations or flowering meadows as well as soil conservation measures such as mulching to increase diversity in arable farming. In a large-scale study conducted by the Universities of Hohenheim and Copenhagen, researchers have now analysed the effects of diversified agriculture worldwide for the first time.