Agriculture and forestry

Even though more and more people are adopting a vegetarian or even vegan diet, for many, meat products are still an integral part of their daily diet. In the EU alone, per capita consumption is around 80 kilograms of meat per year. For a long time now, it has not only been environmental organizations that have been campaigning for a reduction in meat consumption and pointing out the consequences of animal husbandry. Numerous studies have also established that eating less meat is not only healthy, but also sustainable.

42% of Europe's land area is covered by forests. However, many forests, especially woodlands, are not in good condition, and climate change is exacerbating existing problems. Yet forests, as CO2 sinks, are important allies in the fight against the climate crisis. The interdisciplinary research project ONEforest is therefore developing management concepts for the most important European forest types that meet the challenges of climate change.

Bioethanol is a bio-based alternative to petroleum-based fuels or fuel blends. A European research network with the participation of the University of Hohenheim has developed an experimental project whose process is even supposed to be more climate-friendly than merely climate-neutral. The focus is on the giant grass Miscanthus × gigantheus and the storage of carbon dioxide (CO₂). 

Apples are healthy and yet people with an apple allergy have to avoid them because of unpleasant symptoms. Various allergenic ingredients cause a burning sensation in the mouth and throat when biting into an apple, make the tongue and lips swell or cause numbness. The good news is that in just a few years there could be apples in the supermarket that allergic people can enjoy without any problems.

Blueberries are in demand: their acreage has more than doubled in recent years to over 3,000 hectares. However, as with many perennial plants, insect pests are causing difficulties for fruit growers. The cherry vinegar fly, for example, lays its eggs in the berries, rendering the fruit unusable for trade. And the larvae of the chokecherry weevil and white grubs eat the blueberry roots, causing the plants to suffer or even die. The HOPE collaborative research project aims to develop sustainable, non-chemical solutions to both problems.

For several years now, the CRISPR-Cas gene scissors have provided molecular biologists with a tool that enables targeted changes to the genome. The potential for plant breeding in particular is enormous. Genetic information of important crops can be modified to make them more resistant to pests, diseases or extreme climatic conditions. Holger Puchta from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is one of the pioneers worldwide who first used the CRISPR-Cas gene scissors on plants.

Archaea are among the oldest living organisms on earth. The single-celled organisms are undemanding and often live in extreme environments such as hot springs, salt lakes or the deep sea. Researchers have now also detected a globally distributed species that can convert ammonium in Europe's third largest inland lake, Lake Constance.

Forests bind carbon dioxide, store water, cool the air and provide recreation. But forestry has not yet been financially rewarded for all these added values. Researchers at TU Dresden therefore believe that sustainable forest management could become more attractive if there were concepts that rewarded forest ecosystem services. Funded by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU), the experts therefore want to develop such a concept over the next three years.