What is the topic?

When humans domesticated plants, they selected for high yield. Other traits that allow wild plants to cope with their environment, were lost (see Plant Stress). The group Applied Biodiversity attempts to understand these traits and to render them accessible for sustainable agriculture. Our second focus is on new strategies to authenticate plants or plant products as contribution for more consumer safety in times of globalisation. Using new methods we touch the limits of the plant species concept. A new field considers the interaction between crop plants and pests as communication process and develops on this base novel paths for sustainable plant protection. For our work, genetic resources of the Botanical Garden, such as our WEL-Gene Bank or our Wild Grape Collection provide important tools. Here, protection of biodiversity merges with its valorisation.

	Protect and Use starting from the attempt to rescue the endangered European Wild Grapevine, our collection turned into a resource for breeding. more...		Superfood & Co ...are not rarely faked. Botanical globalisation is a challenge for consumer safety. Our recipe: gene markers, microscopy and a collection of reference plants in the Botanical Garden.  more...
	What is a Species? In plants something else than in animals. Possibly a process rathern than a fixed entity. We connect evolution and development to sort this. more...		Co-Evolution ...is based on communication. This leads to new concepts for plant protection. Instead of poisoning our environment, we should rather learn to communicate more efficiently with Nature. more...