Agriculture and forestry

The cultivation of maize has a long tradition. 9,000 years ago in southern Mexico, the tastiest and highest-yielding maize plants were selected from the descendants of the original teosinte variety and used for breeding. Over the centuries, the plant has adapted to a wide variety of locations and gradually changed more than just the appearance of the cobs. The modern maize plant also produces higher yields. Until now, it was unclear how the domestication of today's most important food crop has affected the root system.

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.

Its high protein and carbohydrate content has earned the algae a reputation as a healthy food. The marine vegetable is not only popular on its own in the form of salad. Algae are also becoming increasingly important as biomass for the production of new foods. The Berlin start-up BettaF!sh, for example, produces salmon and tuna alternatives from cultivated seaweed and pulses such as field beans and peas.

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.

The majority of land plants live in symbiosis with mycorrhizal fungi. The fungal networks on the roots supply the plants with important nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen as well as water from the soil. In return, the fungus is nourished with carbon, which the plant obtains and contributes from photosynthesis. Studies have already confirmed the importance of this biocoenosis for plants, fungi and ecosystems.

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.