News in brief:
U.S. Ambassador visits JKI
When U.S. Ambassador to Germany, Philip D. Murphy, visited the town of Quedlinburg on April 11, his schedule also included a presentation of the Julius Kühn Institute. Ambassador Murphy was accompanied by his wife Tammy and Consul General Mark J. Powell.
Common Ragweed Conference in Berlin in September
The JKI is organizing a conference on how to bring a further spread of Ambrosia in Germany to a halt. Experts studying the common ragweed plant will meet at Berlin from 10 to 12 September 2013. Conference language is German.
The JKI also co-ordinates the international EU-project called “Halt Ambrosia” (www.halt-ambrosia.de).
Effective control of oak processionary moths for the protection of humans is possible
Experts discussed control strategies at a status seminar organised by the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment and the Julius Kühn Institute in February 2013
Food security - how does research contribute?
This question is one of the topics to be discussed during an expert meeting at the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA).
GFFA unites politics, science and industry for exchanging on topical agricultural issues. The title chosen for the 2013 event is "Responsible investment in the food and agriculture sectors – A key factor for food security and rural development".
JKI scientists are participating in the discussion round focussing on food security. Where and when? Friday, 18th January 2013, 12:30 - 14:30 hrs, ICC Berlin, Hall 6
Julius Kühn Institute unveiled bust in honour of Gustav Gassner (1881-1955)
A Gustav Gassner bust was unveiled in Braunschweig on Tuesday (18 Dec 2012). Thus, the JKI pays tribute to a leading representative of agricultural and botanical research, who also became an important supporter and patron of sciences in Braunschweig after World War II.
President Dr. Georg F. Backhaus (pictured) unveiled the bust in the presence of representatives from institutes and societies that Gassner had once directed or founded. So he was rector and professor at the Technical University of Braunschweig, but also made major contributions to establishing the predecessors of today’s Julius Kühn Institute and Thünen Institute in Braunschweig.
North Korean delegation visits JKI
A delegation from the Democratic People´s Republic of Korea (DPRK) visited three sites of the JKI. The visitors are working on a North Korean project committed to improving the nationwide crop genetic resources management and to effectively utilizing genetic resources. Special aim of this project is to adapt crop production to changing agro-climatic conditions driven by climate change, diversify crop cultivation and seek sustainable growth in agricultural production.
Best poster award for JKI at legume congress (ICLGG) in Hyderabad (India)
Dr. Brigitte Ruge-Wehling from the JKI Institute for Breeding Research on Agricultural Crops was honoured with a Best Poster Award at the VI International Congress on Legume Genetics and Genomics (ICLGG) taking place in Hyderabad, India, from 2 - 7 October 2012.
Her poster entitled "Anthracnose Resistance in Lupins – Increasing Yield Stability and Promoting Growth of Homegrown Legumes“ was among the six best poster presentations at the conference. However, she further distinguished herself in a one-minute talk, a time given to poster presenters to highlight their work in the plenary session, and really made the best use of her 60 sec.
European Society of Nematologists (ESN): best poster winner is PhD student at JKI
Mohamed Baklawa won the best poster award at the 31st ESN International Symposium in Adana (Turkey) in September 2012. The Egyptian scientist (in the picture on the right) is working on his dissertation at the JKI Institute for National and International Plant Health.
First International Ragweed Day (IRD) on June 23rd
The General Assembly of the International Ragweed Society (IRS) (held in Ascona, Switzerland on October 6, 2011) proclaimed the first Saturday of the summer each year the “International Ragweed Day (IRD)” (See: http://www.internationalragweedsociety.org).
The Julius Kühn Institute co-operates with the IRS and informs public as well as national stakeholders about ragweed in Germany. Furthermore it co-ordinates the international EU-project called “Halt Ambrosia” (www.halt-ambrosia.de).
Joining forces in the fight against oak processionary moths
The processionary moth (Thaumetopoea processionea) continues its spread through Germany. The Julius Kühn Institute recently published updated maps of infestation areas (JKI Press Release, 20 April 2012).
Not only for reasons of forest protection, the pests must be controlled. The caterpillars are also posing a high health hazard to humans.
The Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) and the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) organized a conference and discussed measures to be taken to fight the pest. The conference took place in Berlin from 6 to 7 March 2012.
Fasination of Plants Day
May 18, 2012
On May 18, the Fascination of Plants Day will take place in 33 countries. The Julius Kühn Institute invites everybody fascinated by plants and interested in plant sciences to Quedlinburg. From 4 to 10 p.m., scientists and staff invite the public to explore the fantastic and exciting world of plant sciences.
RYE SELECT accelerates breeding process
The Julius Kühn Institute is partner in a national project that paves the way for genome-based precision breeding in rye. Aim of the RYE SELECT project is to accelerate the genomic selection for traits of agronomic relevance.
JKI hosted international OECD workshop on integrated pest management
In October (16 - 19 Oct 2011), more than 90 participants from 19 countries met at the Julius Kühn Institute in Berlin for discussing achievements and perspectives of an integrated pest management (IPM). This workshop was a follow-up to the OECD workshop of 1998 held in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. It reviewed the development since 1998 and regarded IMP requirements in the light of new legislation and new technical developments.
Honorary Doctor for Prof. Kornelia Smalla at SLU Uppsala
At October 8, 2011, Prof. Smalla received one of the honorary doctors from the four faculties at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) Uppsala. She gave her lecture titled “Effects of Veterinary Medicines on Soil Bacteria” on October 7, 2011.
The conferment ceremony took place on October 8, 2011, at SLU in Uppsala. Prof. Dr. Smalla is head of a research group at the Julius Kühn Institute and a professor at the University of Braunschweig in Germany. She is one of the leading figures in ecological microbiology. Her research brings together environmental, medical, and plant-production issues.
The lectures of the Honorary Doctors were recorded and will be available via SLU:s website within a week.
Innovative crop protection: start of the EU project PURE
From 2014 onwards, a new EU pesticides legislation making integrated pest management mandatory will be in force (EU directive 2009/128/EU). To facilitate its implementation and to open new roads for an integrated plant protection, the European Commission supports a new project with a 9 Mio. grant.
The project title PURE is short for Pesticide Use-and-risk Reduction in European farming systems with Integrated Pest Management. The four-year project is coordinated by INRA, France, and associates 23 partners from 11 European countries - the Julius Kühn Institute being one of them.
Start of the EU project "HALT AMBROSIA"
The overall aim of the 3-year lasting project is to contribute to the reduction of the prevalence of the invasive alien plant Ambrosia artemisiifolia in European countries in order to reduce the burden on public health, agriculture and biodiversity. In cooperation with institutes in Denmark, Hungary, Austria and Slovenia, strategies to control and eradicate Ambrosia will be developed.
JKI scientists revise and update Organic Farming Portal
Internet portal www.oekolandbau.de extended with state-of-the-art research on plant protection in organic farming: JKI scientists updated information on pests and beneficial organisms and added a new chapter on medical and herbal plants.
Start of research project: Improvement of drought tolerance in faba bean
With climate change and changes in temperature and precipitation patterns, winter faba beans are gaining importance as an alternative to the spring type.
JKI raised funds for horticultural research
The Julius Kühn Institute contributes four work packages to a competence network funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). A total of €6.1 million is spent on optimizing horticultural production processes; the JKI receives €470,000. Funding is granted for a period of five years, ending in July 2015. Aim of the initiative is enhancing resource efficiency, and quality assurance or improvement in horticultural production.
Lupins let region blossom
07 Dec 2010: Due to light soils, the north-east region in Germany is ideal for lupin cultivation. The Mecklenburg region is a genuine regional cluster as regards indigenous protein crops and corresponding industries. Over the next three years, the region will benefit from a €4.2 million grant allocated to the PlantsProFood initiative. Partners in PlantsProFood are looking for new food ingredients from lupin. Here, researchers of the Julius Kühn Institute are able to make a worthwhile contribution to the program due to their competence in the breeding of grain legumes.
Integrated pest management in Europe
24 November 2010: In Paris, the partners of the ENDURE Network of Excellence signed an agreement that regulates their future co-operation in the field of integrated pest management in Europe.