news 2022

News from Abdominal fat poses a serious health risk. Also known as visceral fat, it is closely linked to the onset of heart disease, diabetes and hypertension. Now an international research team including the Faculty of Medicine at Leipzig University have discovered that a certain Mediterranean diet can help banish unwelcome belly fat.

How intensive agriculture turned a wild plant into a pervasive weed Agriculture is driving rapid evolutionary change, not just on farms, but also in wild species in the surroundings. New research shows how the rise of modern agriculture has turned a North American native plant, common waterhemp, into a problematic agricultural weed by mutations in hundreds of genes related to drought tolerance, rapid growth, and resistance to herbicides.

International team of researchers completes first global field study on the ecological impact of grazing in drylands Grazing is a form of land use which sustains the livelihood for billions of people. It is especially important in drylands, which cover around 41 percent of the Earth's land surface, hosts one in three humans inhabiting our planet and over 50 % of all livestock live.

Experiment at the University of Freiburg provides first evidence of a bark beetle species' agricultural capability Freiburg, Nov 02, 2022 Ambrosia beetles practice active agriculture: A bark beetle species breeds and cultivates food fungi in its nests and ensures that so-called weed fungi spread less.

Study reveals molecular profile of 19th century beer sample After almost 140 years, researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) opened a lager beer that had been kept at room temperature throughout to analyze it. The beer, dating back to 1885, has now been characterized sensorially and analytically.

Combating malnutrition - Egg powder suitable as a food supplement? Category: Research, Top-News Malnutrition is a key challenge not only in African countries. As an international study now shows, egg powder is a food with great potential to improve the nutritional situation of children in deprived areas.

Researchers from the Universities of Bonn and Kassel present new model for analyzing color vision in aphids Aphids are one of the least welcome garden visitors. These small insects can cause all the more damage in agriculture. But how do they actually choose their host plants? What are the basic mechanisms behind this? Researchers from the Universities of Bonn and Kassel now present two novel models that can be used to analyze aphid color vision and thus how the animals respond to plants.

The disruptions in global trading markets resulting from the war in Ukraine, among other causes, have focused public attention on the issue of securing a sufficient supply of high-quality foods for the global population. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are searching for modern methods to boost global harvests and thus to ensure global food security.

Research team led by Göttingen University compares biodiversity across rural and urban landscapes Urbanization is a primary threat to biodiversity. However, scientists know little about how urbanization affects biodiversity and ecosystem services in tropical regions of the Global South.

International research team investigates genetic yield gaps in wheat Exploiting the genetic yield gap in wheat could significantly improve global food security. This is one of the key findings of an international study on yield gaps in wheat, in which the University of Göttingen was involved. The study, which uses a novel process-based modeling approach, also suggests that global wheat production could be doubled if wheat genotypes were better adapted to their target environment.

Using beneficial microorganisms in plant protection not only as bioinsecticides but also as biofungicides could make agriculture more sustainable and improve food security Future food shortages are expected to become exacerbated in many parts of the world. With this in view, sustainable biological techniques are being explored that could increase the yield of cereals and other food crops and which, unlike the use of chemical pesticides, are environmentally compatible.

Developing Sustainable Agriculture and Saving Resources with New Measurement Techniques Using smart sensor and measurement techniques to make farming more efficient and sustainable is the goal of a team of researchers at TUM. The core idea of precision agriculture is simple: The more farmers know about soil conditions, the weather, and plants and animals, the better they can adapt their decisions to the circumstances.

Research team including Göttingen University assess the efficiency of agri-environmental measures from different perspectives How effective environmental measures in agriculture are for biodiversity and wild bee populations depends on various factors and your perspective. This is shown by agroecologists from the University of Göttingen, Germany and the Centre for Ecological Research in Vácrátót, Hungary.

More variety in the fields is not necessarily the best strategy, a recent study shows Malnutrition in developing countries is best addressed not by increasing the variety of crops grown on smallholder farms, but by improving access to markets. This is the conclusion of a recent study by the MwAPATA Institute in Malawi and the University of Bonn in Germany.

Animal welfare and health aspects, on the other hand, promote the use of meat alternatives People who have a critical attitude toward factory farming or who pay attention to their health in everyday life are more likely to turn to meat substitutes. Concern for the environment, on the other hand, plays no role in this decision.

Effects of a common fungicide differ depending on the plant to which it is applied How susceptible bumblebees are to a common fungicide depends on the flowering plants to which it is applied on and how diverse the food supply is that is available to the insects. Monocultures can increase the insects' sensitivity to the fungicide or generally have negative effects on health, growth and fertility.

Alternative production systems to provide the growing global population with healthy, nutritious and sustainably produced foodstuffs are currently gaining considerable attention. In this interview, Senthold Asseng, Professor of Digital Agriculture at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), discusses the concept of vertical farming, which will allow agriculture of the future to take place under fully controlled and automated conditions.

At the beginning of the development of useful and cultivated plants by humans about 10,000 years ago was the domestication of wild plants. From the multitude of wild plants in a region, humankind selected those that apparently possessed special properties useful to them, e.g. cereal plants whose seeds remain on the plant longer instead of falling out, or those plants that have more or larger seeds.

University of Göttingen researchers investigate use of virtual reality glasses and tablet screens Many people would like to see better animal welfare and transparency in livestock farming. In recent years, agriculture has increasingly tried to be more open, for example through farm tours. Even though farm tours are well received or appreciated by the public, they are not really feasible for the vast majority of people because of hygiene requirements or accessibility.

Research team at Göttingen University investigates effects on reproductive success in agricultural landscapes Bumblebees are important pollinators because they pollinate many different plant species and are extremely resilient. They can still manage to fly at temperatures that are too cold for other pollinators.