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Joseph-Gottlieb Kölreuter Institute for Plant Sciences
April-September Mo-Fr 8-16, So 10-16, October-March Mo-Fr 8-15, So 10-14, entrance free! How to find us
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Research NewsNovember 1, our new cooperation project with the Start-up Vertical Farming and the Max-Rubner-Institute, funded by the Federal Institute for Agriculture, will be launched. Running time is three years. A precursor project, funded by the State of Baden-Württemberg tested, in the Botanic Garden of the KIT, a prototype for a Vertical Farm device, where the accumulation of value giving compounds was stimulated by repeated gravity stimulation. In theis context, we discovered that aeroponics (spraying the roots with a nutritious mist) stimulates root growth to an extent never seen before. The new project will now valorise this discovery. Target are cash rhizome crops such as Ginger, Turmeric, or Wasabi. To protect the precious products from infection by pathogens, a new technology will be tested, where the roots are inoculated by root bacteria that had been identified by us previously. These microbes can stimulate plant immunity. This will allow to avoid chemical plant protection, but also circumvent the need for the extreme quarantine standards commonly used in Vertical Farming. This will lower costs considerable and extend the applicability of this new farming method far beyond current use. |
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Current EventsDr. Annemarthe Rubner: Sporenpflanzen – Evolution der Pflanzen Sonntag, 22. März 2026, 11:15-12:15, Botanischer Garten Vor etwa 450 Millionen Jahren entwickelten sich die ersten Landpflanzen. Es waren Moose, Farne, Schachtelhalme und manch andere Gruppe von Sporenpflanzen. Früher mächtig in Wuchs und Artenzahl stehen ihnen heute die wirtschaftlich bedeutenderen Samenpflanzen, Nackt- und Bedecktsamer (die Blütenpflanzen!), gegenüber. Lernen Sie die Unterschiede kennen und verfolgen Sie die spannende Evolution der Pflanzen anhand von Demonstrationsobjekten im Gewächshaus und Freiland. Teilnehmerzahl ist begrenzt! Buchung |
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Plant of the Month: Giant PipevineAt the entrance area you can again admire the huge flowers of the Giant Pipevine. Although this species belongs to the primitive Angiosperms, it has develope a couple of sophisticated tricks to ensure its pollination. Optically as olfactorially, the flower imitates the fruiting bodies of mushrooms and successfully lures tiny flies into the interior. Those flies search for mushrooms to lay their eggs upon. As other species of this genus, also the Giant Pipevine lives as liana and, therefore, has evolved self healing tricks to ensure that upon wounding the water transport is rapidly restored.
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The Butterfly Ginger Hedychium (Palmenhaus) The ancestor of flowering plants? fruiting and flowering (Eingangshalle)
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