news 2021

International research team led by Göttingen University study training methods in Ethiopia Smallholder family farms shape the agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, they are often affected by declining soil fertility as well as hunger and poverty. Farming practices that increase productivity as well as protect the soil are therefore crucial.

Research team from the University of Göttingen explores what guides Cameroonian milk producers' decision-making after a market disruption   When agricultural markets in the Global South are disrupted, what helps producers stay in business? In regions where work can be hard to find, educational attainment is low, and opportunities for economic diversification are often too few, it is essential to understand what helps smallholder producers maintain their livelihoods.

Weather conditions outside growing season very important The weather conditions in the winter and during the transitional phases from fall to winter and winter to spring have a significant influence on the yield level of key cereal crops, such as winter barley and winter wheat. These were the findings of a research team of scientists at the Chair of Plant Nutrition at the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

Research team at the Universities of Göttingen and Hohenheim analyses use in worldwide commercial cultivation Pollinators - such as bees, butterflies and birds - are essential for agricultural production. However, natural pollination can also fail or be insufficient, which can lead to lower yields and poorer quality.

Göttingen University research team analyses different cultivars of tuber Phosphorus is an essential plant nutrient that is becoming increasingly scarce around the world. This means the fertiliser has to be used as efficiently as possible and any loss of nutrients due to leaching and erosion must be minimised.

Research team led by Göttingen University investigates farmland birds in an Indian megacity Urbanization is one of the most drastic forms of land-use change, and its negative consequences on biodiversity have been studied extensively in temperate countries such as Germany. However, less research has been conducted in tropical regions from the Global South, where most of the ongoing and future urbanization hotspots are located, and little is known about its effects on agricultural biodiversity and associated ecosystems.

Research team led by the University of Göttingen calls for paradigm shift Is organic farming the only alternative to conventional agriculture to promote biodiversity in agricultural landscapes? An international research team led by the University of Göttingen questions this.

Researchers from Freie Universität Berlin are investigating the pressing issue of food inequalities No 089/2021 from May 14, 2021 According to a study conducted by researchers at Freie Universität Berlin in cooperation with Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais and Universidade de Brasília, as many as six out of ten households in Brazil are currently at risk of food and nutrition insecurity.

Why physical activity entices you to eat more - and how to fight it Around two thirds of men and half of women in Germany* are overweight, according to statistics collected by the German Obesity Society. Concurrently millions of people want to lose weight. One way to do this is exercising. But what influence does sport have on (direct) eating habits? Scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the University of Nebraska (USA) have now investigated this question for the first time.

Researchers at Freie Universität Berlin have discovered genes that determine oilseed rape yield No 045/2021 from Mar 18, 2021 A research team at Freie Universität Berlin led by the biologist Professor Thomas Schmülling has recently published a study on their success in increasing oilseed rape yield by mutating the specific genes responsible for degrading the plant hormone cytokinin.

The agricultural cultivation of the staple food of rice harbours the risk of possible contamination with arsenic that can reach the grains following uptake by the roots. In their investigation of over 4,000 variants of rice, a Chinese-German research team under the direction of Rüdiger Hell from the Centre for Organismal Studies (COS) of Heidelberg University and Fang-Jie Zhao of Nanjing Agricultural University (China) discovered a plant variant that resists the toxin.

Researchers with participation of Göttingen University first to investigate effect on meat of early immunocastration Researchers from the Thünen Institute of Organic Farming and the University of Göttingen are the first to investigate very early immunocastration in male piglets to prevent -boar taint-, which affects the taste of meat from non-castrated animals.