Agriculture and forestry

Control grain weevil with plasma

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.

Protein feed from on-farm biorefinery

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.

Vertical greening for climate-friendly cities

More than half the world's population lives in cities, and the numbers are rising. Climate change and its consequences, including heat waves and heavy rainfall, make life in major cities increasingly stressful. There has long been research into how metropolises can protect themselves from such weather extremes in the future. Experts see one way of improving the quality of life for city residents in the greening of facades.

Global plant diversity at a glance

Biodiversity is the basis of our existence - but it is under threat. Worldwide, 26,500 animal and plant species face extinction. In Germany, almost one in three wild plants is affected, including the well-known medicinal plant arnica. The German government has therefore put the protection of biodiversity on the political agenda. Now, for the first time, there is a tool that provides detailed information on how many plant species there are in different regions of the world.

From wheat straw to textile fiber

The textile industry's interest in sustainable materials is growing. In particular, this revolves around alternatives to cotton, but also around replacing petroleum-based synthetic fabrics. Expanding the raw material base for textile fibers is the goal of a new research project. As part of the CRF-Sraw project, researchers at the University of Hamburg, together with fiber expert J. Rettenmaier & Söhne, now want to make agricultural residues usable for fiber production.

Winter barley: Old landraces reveal path to virus resistance

Yield losses of up to 50% - these are the possible consequences when winter barley becomes infected with barley yellow mosaic virus or mild barley mosaic virus. Fortunately, this rarely happens anymore because today's cultivars have resistance to these viruses. Recently, however, virus strains have appeared with increasing frequency that have been able to overcome these established resistance mechanisms. Large-scale crop failures would thus only have been a matter of time.

Microclimate influences epigenetics of field penny-cress

The environment influences how the activity of DNA is regulated - this has long been known. Now, however, researchers at the University of Tübingen have quantified the magnitude of this influence for the first time for the field penny-cress (Thlaspi arvense). Previously, this had only been studied for a few plant species. Field penny-cress could gain importance in the future as a winter cover crop and as a raw material for biofuels.

Fungus-resistant cereal varieties contribute to climate protection

Fertilization practices, monocultures or animal husbandry are to blame: With a share of 8% of Germany's greenhouse gas emissions, agriculture is a major contributor to climate change. At the same time, the agricultural sector is feeling the consequences of global warming among the hardest. Thanks to the breeding of new varieties, agricultural productivity has been demonstrably increased. However, it was previously unclear what effect the advances in plant breeding in recent decades have had on the carbon footprint.