IPK Journal

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Many homeowners know this: What is not needed at the moment goes to the attic first. And there it usually stays and is forgotten. This is also the case with us at IPK. All the more exciting is the tour that our campus manager Katrin Menzel made through the attics of the buildings on the research campus in Gatersleben. In the Vavilov building, she discovered more than 40 heavy boxes from previous collection trips and expeditions. Some boxes were intended for the Tropical Institute of the GDR in Cuba. And in other boxes, there are equipment items such as tent tarps, collection bags, botanical drums, but also old plant presses and field beds. What Katrin Menzel discovered in the attics can be read in the article “Cuba, Art, and Junk.”

The article “The Nitrogen Dilemma” meanwhile deals with the nutrient that our crops need the most. However, the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has led to global shortages of fertilizers since March. Trade organizations and aid agencies warned of the worldwide consequences for agriculture, especially for poorer regions in Africa, Asia, and South America. The reason is obvious: In agriculture, nitrogen is used as fertilizer to replenish nutrients, maintain soil fertility, and achieve high yields of very good quality. However, nitrogen also brings problems. With excessive use, it can overload ecosystems, disrupt natural cycles, and lead to environmental issues. Therefore, the challenge for science and breeding is to develop plants that can absorb and process nitrogen better and more efficiently.

These questions will also be discussed at the International Symposium (“Nitrogen 2026”), which will take place from August 23 to 27, 2026, at IPK. Leading scientists from around the world will be present, covering many facets related to nitrogen.

As for our new research strategy at IPK, we are pleased that we were able to impress not only the Scientific Advisory Board but also the Leibniz Evaluation Commission with our concept. At the center is our gene bank. It revolves around five topics for which we have set ambitious goals by 2030. In March 2026, we appointed a spokesperson for each research topic at the “Scientific Retreat.” They will now drive the implementation and further development of the research topics together with other colleagues.

The “Scientific Retreat” also focused on the excellence cluster CEPLAS, to which we have belonged since January 2026. Meanwhile, the first two projects at IPK funded by CEPLAS have been initiated - one by Anna Backhaus and Laura Dixon and the other by Ricardo Giehl. Additionally, there will be a professorship for root microbiome interactions, which we can fill starting in summer 2027 and which will also be funded by CEPLAS resources. We are currently preparing the call for applications.

The INCREASE project was recently completed after six years. The project became known for its integrated citizen science component on bean diversity. The goal was to involve as many citizens as possible in recording important characteristics such as appearance, growth, flowering time, or yield components of more than 1,100 old bean varieties. This was impressively achieved: Ultimately, 27,000 people from all over Europe participated in the experiment.

The principle behind it was quite simple. Each participant received six bean varieties. They sowed them at home and then recorded various characteristics using the “INCREASE CSA” app. In the article “Hobby Gardeners Meet Top Researchers,” Kerstin Neumann explains in the current IPK Journal what scientific results have come from INCREASE.

In the section “What is actually happening…?” this time it is about our former colleague Murukarthick Jayakodi, who now works at the Texas A&M Agri Life Research and Extension Centre in Dallas, USA. In the interview, he reports on settling in Texas, the differences between the scientific systems in the USA and Germany, and the shift in focus in his work. As in Gatersleben, Murukarthick Jayakodi continues to work on the field bean in Dallas. He shares his recent research results with us and what fascinates him about this plant species.

Enjoy your reading! Yours, Nicolaus von Wirén

What influence nitrogen has on the change of root architecture is being investigated by Ricardo Giehl and his colleagues in the SMARTROOT project, which runs until 2028 and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Home Affairs. They also use the PhänoSphäre of the IPK for this purpose. In root observation boxes, called rhizotrons, the growth of the roots can be observed and documented precisely. Later, the nitrogen content in the shoot will be measured. The Collaborative Research Center "Plant Proteoform Diversity," in which the IPK working group "Molecular Plant Nutrition" is also involved, is investigating a protein variation in a subproject that is important for root growth under low nitrogen conditions.

However, there are already concrete results: Just recently, a research team involving the IPK discovered a molecular mechanism in the model plant Arabidopsis that allows plants to adjust their root growth to better reach and utilize nitrate occurrences in the soil. The results published in the journal "Nature Plants" open up new perspectives for sustainable agriculture. But it is also needed, as the pressure for action is enormous given the many problems.

In the past, the nitrogen surplus in agriculture was so high that the target value of the National Sustainability Strategy was clearly missed. At least: In 2023, it was possible for the first time to limit the surplus to an average of 70 kilograms per hectare over five years.

However, the fundamental problem remains. Nitrogen fertilizers that are not absorbed by the plants in the field end up in groundwater and surface waters. There, as nitrate, it endangers our groundwater and contributes to eutrophication, meaning an oversupply of nutrients.

Nitrate is very mobile in the soil and can be leached into groundwater, especially in the autumn after harvest and during heavy rainfall. In groundwater - and subsequently in drinking water - nitrate can be converted into health-hazardous nitrite under certain conditions. The limit value for nitrate in drinking water was therefore set at 50 mg/l across the EU in 1991. Evaluations of data on nitrate levels at 1,147 measuring points have shown that in 2024, 15.7 percent of the measuring points reported values significantly higher than 50 mg/l. This groundwater cannot be used for drinking water production without further treatment.

Nitrogen compounds also enter surface waters with groundwater and from runoff from agricultural land. This leads to increased nutrient levels in rivers, lakes, and seas. This results in an increase in primary production of plants, such as algae, and can lead to massive oxygen depletion in the waters.

Excessive fertilizer application can ultimately also contribute to accelerated soil acidification. This is associated with changes in soil structure and living conditions for soil microorganisms. According to the Federal Environment Agency, this affects soil fertility, yields, and the quality of plant products. The challenges are therefore significant not only for farmers and ecologists but also for science.

Therefore, the topic will also be discussed at the International Symposium (“Nitrogen 2026”), which will take place from August 23 to 27, 2026, at the IPK. Leading international scientists will be present, covering all facets of the topic. It is about nitrogen in the soil and in water, but especially about genetic aspects and molecular processes of nitrogen uptake and nitrogen cycling in plants. “Of course, fertilizers can also be improved, but our starting point is the plant, where we still see a lot of potential for improvement,” says Ricardo Giehl.

“Our ability to achieve many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals is closely linked to an improved use of nitrogen fertilizers and the expansion of the supply of protein-rich foods, which are mostly derived from plant raw materials,” says Nicolaus von Wirén, Managing Director of the IPK and Chairman of the Organizing Committee, which also includes Ricardo Giehl and Hannah Schneider.

The nitrogen dilemma will therefore also occupy the experts at the IPK in August.



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"The INCREASE project has been successfully completed," it has been stated on the website for a few weeks now. For six years, 25 partners from 13 countries have worked on developing efficient and effective tools and methods for the conservation of biodiversity. The focus was on the four legumes chickpea, lentil, garden bean, and lupin. At its core, it was about building core collections for these four plants, characterizing them genotypically, and subsequently investigating various questions.

The focus at IPK was on chickpeas. First, a core collection of 200 lines was established. In a second step, this was examined for its drought stress tolerance. "We conducted very detailed phenotypic high-throughput investigations not only to see how well the lines recover after three weeks of stress, but also to investigate the impact of drought on the photosynthetic performance of the plants, finding significant differences," says IPK researcher Kerstin Neumann. In the INCREASE project, she also coordinated a citizen science component together with Roberto Papa from the University in Ancona (Italy). Two publications have already emerged from these results. "The citizen experiment was certainly a showcase of the project, but it was also a huge challenge for us at the beginning, as none of the partners had experience with citizen science approaches," emphasizes Kerstin Neumann.

The goal was to involve as many citizens as possible in recording important characteristics such as growth, appearance, flowering time, or yield components of more than 1,100 old bean varieties. And this was achieved in an extremely impressive way. Ultimately, around 27,000 people from all over Europe participated in the experiment. "With the project, we wanted to make the topic of biodiversity more present and increase knowledge about and awareness of the enormous diversity of beans," says the co-coordinator.

The principle behind it was simple. Each participant received six bean varieties. They sowed these and recorded various plant characteristics using the INCREASE-CSA app.

"The flowering time was the most important characteristic for us," says Kerstin Neumann. Ultimately, it is about which varieties are well suited for which location. Some varieties react particularly sensitively to different day lengths. "These bloom too late in the Nordic countries with long days, namely only when the days there also become shorter." The corresponding data from the citizen science experiment has now been processed - and Kerstin Neumann has good news. "The quality of the data is good, and they are suitable for scientific studies." In a second step, the goal was to link this data with genotypic information to investigate the influence of individual genetic markers on flowering time. "Our goal is to find the genomic regions where the corresponding candidate genes are located," explains Kerstin Neumann.

However, the flowering time was just one of 36 characteristics that citizens recorded and made available for research. These include, among others, leaf shape and appearance, flower color, ripening date, and yield. "For the citizen science experiment, we deliberately simplified our established classification of bean morphology," explains the IPK scientist.

The approach of the experiment also convinced the jury, which awarded the project the "Grand Prize" for citizen science from the European Union in 2024. "The collaboration between citizens and large research centers is outstanding and an example of how top research centers open their research for scientific excellence and social integration," the jury explained in their decision.

Numerous media outlets, such as Mitteldeutsche Zeitung and ARD, also took notice of the project. After the award from the EU, Arte dedicated a 45-minute documentary to the project, for which sequences were filmed at IPK as well as in France and Italy. "I was fascinated by how this project brings together thousands of people from various regions and countries of Europe in such a simple way." It doesn't require a common language, just the beans," said director Jasmin Lakatoš from Leipzig. "Therefore, the beans are also the real stars, to whom we wanted to give a stage with the documentary."

But the well-known TV chef and food expert Sebastian Lege was also enthusiastic about the topic. For one day in the summer of 2025, he filmed at the IPK and met with Kerstin Neumann, not only for an interview but also for a bean tasting. And in October 2025, the episode "In Search of the Perfect Chili con Carne" was aired in the VOX series "Lege Comes to Taste." And: Kerstin Neumann was part of the jury that evaluated Sebastian Lege's chili in the television studio.

"In addition to the citizen experiment, the intensive collaboration with the media was a second special feature of the project. "That was not easy at the beginning, but I learned from appointment to appointment to report more clearly, simply, and understandably about my work," explained Kerstin Neumann. "And I definitely have more respect today for the work of journalists," said the researcher, who also presented INCREASE at the latest journalists' college at the IPK.

The project thrived in multiple ways on diversity, not only in terms of the beans. "We had different types of participants. From hobby gardeners to lovers of old varieties to environmentalists and nature conservationists." What united them all was the great commitment. "Everyone invested at least one gardening season in INCREASE." However, the response speaks for itself. What was initially planned as three rounds ultimately became six. She finds the participation of nearly 600 schools across Europe particularly valuable, as these approximately 11,300 students are our consumers, farmers, scientists, and decision-makers of tomorrow. Therefore, education on the topic of plant research cannot start early enough. "We will continue the sixth round as a hobby after the project ends," says Kerstin Neumann.



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How many TAs are there at IPK?

There are around 90 technical assistants at IPK, making us the largest group of technical staff.

What does the classic job profile look like?

Of course, conducting, monitoring, and evaluating experiments take up a large part of the role. Close coordination with researchers is important. Some TAs are trained in the operation of specialized instruments. Other TAs independently manage entire projects - that also exists. But of course, general laboratory routines, laboratory organization, and tasks such as ordering are primarily part of the job spectrum.

That sounds like there are significant differences between the activities of the individual TAs.

Yes, that is definitely the case. I myself spend most of my time at the computer, while other colleagues are often involved in field or greenhouse work. The degree of freedom that individual TAs have is also very different. In one case, routine work predominates, while in another case, highly specialized skills are required. Therefore, it is often not possible to replace one TA with another without extensive training.

What unites the TAs?

The TAs assist researchers in turning their ideas into scientific reality. They understand the practice and can often anticipate some difficulties in the design of experiments. Additionally, TAs often have contact with various areas of the institute and are an essential link. But not only that: They are also an essential reservoir of knowledge and experience. They are a kind of Swiss Army knife for workgroups.

How did the idea for the TA board come about?

The impetus came from Cristóbal Uauy from the Scientific Advisory Board. He asked us during the Institute Days 2024 whether a TA board actually exists at IPK. He said it was important for the leadership and development of the institute to receive honest feedback from our side as well. This idea of a TA board was completely new to me, but I found it interesting and worth considering right away. In preparation for the institute evaluation in November 2025, we discussed this idea with the TAs from all departments and addressed central themes. We presented these to Nicolaus von Wirén, who gave us the final impetus to establish the TA board with his immediate assurance of support. So we obviously managed to convince him with our points.

What topics do you have on the agenda?

Many colleagues wish for even better communication within the IPK and the working groups. A second point is further training. Here, we hope that the TAs will be better informed about relevant offers in the future, and that the participation of leaders of the working groups will generally be supported. And a third point is the appreciation of the work of the TAs. However, I can say that this has already improved after discussions with Nicolaus von Wirén. This shows how important direct exchange is.





How is the TA board composed?

We currently have eleven colleagues from all four scientific departments. The goal is to meet at least once per quarter. However, in the initial phase, we will meet more often to discuss open issues such as the statutes and our intranet presence. At the beginning of next year, we plan to hold the first proper election of the TA board, as the current group is not elected but consists of volunteers who spontaneously committed to this idea after the evaluation in 2025.

How does the collaboration with the staff council and other committees at IPK look?

First, we need to establish and solidify our structures. However, after the election of the new TA board in 2027, we also want to approach other committees, such as the staff council. Like the other boards, we will be invited to a directorate meeting once a year, where we can present our concerns directly. Until then, we hope for a lot of feedback from the TAs themselves, as that is the basis of our work.

How long have you been at IPK? And what motivated you to take on the chairmanship?

I have been at IPK since 2010, initially in the working group "Heterosis" and since 2016 in the working group "Assimilate Allocation and NMR". Regarding my engagement in the TA board, I had the impression that TAs were treated somewhat neglectfully in the past. They are often the "silent heroes" who enable many research results. Through their profound knowledge, practical skills, tireless commitment, and years of experience, they make this possible. I want to emphasize this even more, and no one represents their interests as well as they do themselves. As for the chairmanship, I see myself primarily as a moderator of various ideas and viewpoints. This role is very enjoyable for me.



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In mid-June, the Hugo Junkers Prize was awarded in the Magdeburg Elbauenpark. The award was presented in four categories. From the 74 applications, a jury selected a total of 20 finalists and invited them to Magdeburg on Thursday. With a total prize money of 80,000 euros, the award is the highest endowed research and innovation prize in Saxony-Anhalt.

Inna Lermontova, head of the "Kinetochor Biology" working group at IPK, was one of the five finalists in the category of basic research and was awarded by Saxony-Anhalt's Minister of Science, Armin Willingmann. She applied with the topic "Kinetochor manipulation and heat stress for the production of haploid plants."

Nicolaus von Wirén, Managing Director of IPK, was very pleased with Inna Lermontova's success. "Even though it didn't end up being one of the top three places, reaching the final round in this prestigious science award is a great success." On this occasion, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Inna Lermontova. She has presented IPK excellently."

"Saxony-Anhalt has increased its innovative strength in recent years through the close integration of science and industry," explained Armin Willingmann, patron of the competition. "With the Hugo Junkers Prize, we want to honor those who, with their ideas and developments, make our country even better in challenging times. All award winners and finalists are beacons for the innovation culture in Saxony-Anhalt."

The focus of the project by IPK scientist Inna Lermontova is a new method for producing double haploids. These completely homozygous plants allow for the development of new breeding lines within just one generation. This significantly accelerates plant breeding. The special feature of the method: For the first time, three complementary approaches are combined - the targeted influence of kinetochore proteins, the use of natural genetic variation, and the targeted application of temperature stress to increase haploid induction.

Currently, the new method is being applied to important crops such as wheat and rye. This creates great potential, not only in research but also in practical plant breeding. "The approach is an impressive example of how basic research can pave the way for concrete innovations in agriculture," said the jury.

"To secure the food supply of a growing world population with shrinking arable land, we constantly need new varieties, and this can only be achieved through accelerated methods in plant breeding," said Inna Lermontova. "We hope that with our approach, we can shorten the duration of breeding programs from six to eight years to one to two years."

In September 2025, the jury consisting of representatives from science, industry, business, and crafts met and selected the 20 finalists. These will present themselves in November 2025 in Halle during the live pitch with their projects, companies, and innovations. The jury's decision was based on five criteria: corporate strategy, degree of innovation, resource efficiency, economic viability, and marketability.

"The decision was not easy for us, as the quality of the submitted applications was consistently impressive and thematically extremely diverse," said jury chairman Friedrich Stolzenburg. The two-stage evaluation process, in which each jury member initially established their ranking for the four award categories, proved to be very helpful. In the final discussion, however, it was still a close race in many cases," said the Vice President for Research and Equal Opportunities at Harz University.



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What else should be considered?

We should not only use several types of grains but also native seeds like flaxseed, buckwheat, poppy, or sunflower. These not only provide great taste and important nutrients but are also important flowering plants for local agrobiodiversity. If we pay a bit more attention to the ingredients and taste and accept a more rustic appearance instead of very inflated, large-volume baked goods, we are doing good not only for our health but also for nature.

What else should we as consumers consider?

What is most commonly purchased? Toast bread and large, soft rolls! However, we should buy less of these white, fluffy baked goods because their production requires not only flour of the best quality but also a lot of fertilizer. Whole grain bread, on the other hand, contains significantly more nutrients. Therefore, we should eat more whole grain products. So far, the market share of whole grain bread and whole grain rolls is only ten percent. There is still room for improvement.

You have identified an unrealistic view of nutrition in industrialized countries. How do you determine that? And why is that a problem?

Some have romantic notions of agricultural production, dreaming of small farms with free-range animals on vast pastures and seeing food only through an ideological lens. Just think of all the “free from” slogans that have almost become a religion. Nevertheless, they want to buy their food as cheaply as possible and have it available at all times. Both cannot work in parallel. We need to find a balance between more sustainability in agricultural production and maintaining high productivity. These are the central challenges of the global food value chain.

Pure organic farming is therefore not a solution.

While many good approaches are pursued in organic farming, we must also face reality. Yields in organic farming are still significantly lower than those of conventional agriculture. For example, wheat yields are on average about 40 percent lower. However, we need high yields to feed a growing world population without requiring more arable land, which is gained through deforestation and the conversion of grasslands. A disaster for biodiversity. Ideology alone does not satisfy our hunger. At this point, I would also like to advocate for conventional agriculture. In 1960, a farmer here fed 17 people; by 2023, it was already 153. Modern agriculture is, seen this way, a unique success story that we should still strive to make as sustainable as possible.

On your YouTube channel, you already criticized in a video in 2021 that food research only sees dots, while the entire value chain is not considered, and thus important levers are not utilized.

Yes, that's true! Let's take the example of low whole grain consumption. It is often said that it is due to the mills that prefer to sell white flour. Completely wrong; they would of course love to use not only 80 percent of the grain for human consumption but everything. However, we consumers must first want more of it. This happens too rarely, whether due to ignorance or a lack of great products. With the right recipe, juicy and fluffy whole grain baked goods with a good and tolerable nutrient profile can be created.

And then?

If both conditions are met, farmers could even further optimize the nutrient quality of baked goods through special fertilization and breeding by selecting particularly nutrient-rich varieties. Conversely, it makes no sense to enrich the nutrient content in the grain margins that are not utilized in white flour. This is what I understand by work and problem-solving along the value chain.

How can more sustainability be achieved in eating?

It is equally important that we waste significantly less food. This is not only about products that end up in the trash later. Fruits and vegetables are often not even harvested because their appearance does not meet expectations. And often, the ends are missing in toast bread packages; this is also a form of waste that we can no longer afford. Moreover, we should include more regional and seasonal products in our shopping baskets. And of course, we should consume fewer animal products.

You not only regularly give lectures at other universities and conferences but also at field days, mill conferences, and baking academies. Why do you engage outside of the pure research community?

I have always enjoyed answering press inquiries, and perhaps that has become known (laughs). But I also enjoy discussing with people from practice and have therefore sought contact with farmers as well as bakery and milling businesses. As for lectures, like recently at the IPK, I enjoy being on stage as a long-time musician; it’s just fun. Later, social media was added, which I also like to use to talk about my research.

“Cool baked goods - simply made yourself” is the title of one of your YouTube videos. And at your lecture at the IPK, you also gave some baking tips. The question remains: What kind of bread do you like to eat the most?

Like with wine, I love the variety in bread as well, but on weekends, we regularly have spelt rolls at home. This is a traditional Swabian pastry made from a very soft and moist spelt yeast dough that delivers uniquely crispy and juicy baked goods with a very rustic appearance and wonderful taste.





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The dice for Gatersleben were cast in 1991 at a conference in Tucson, Arizona, USA. There, Martin Ganal met again with the supervisor of his doctoral thesis - and she had the announcement for a vacant position at the IPK with her. After spending several years together at Cornell University in New York State, he and his wife Marion Röder had to decide: stay in the USA or return to Germany? "But we will only come as a pair, that was our condition in the discussions with the IPK," recalls Martin Ganal. An agreement was reached, and the now 66-year-old started in 1993 at the IPK as the head of a working group, where his wife also got a position.

Today, 33 years later, Martin Ganal sits on a spring-like February day in his office at the company "SGS TraitGenetics" and looks back, but also forward. In a few days, the company in Wernigerode will celebrate its 25th anniversary, and he himself will be retiring. "We didn't want two celebrations, but only one. However, it will last for three days," laughs the founder and long-time main owner of TraitGenetics a few days before the celebration. In the end, nearly 100 business partners and long-time companions attended. And Martin Ganal's path on the research campus is probably unique.

"I have always wanted to bridge the gap between science and business," explains the 66-year-old his motivation. At the IPK, the biologist, who comes from near Lindau on Lake Constance and studied in Tübingen, initially dealt with tomatoes and the molecular isolation of genes, thus following in the tradition of institute founder Hans Stubbe, as he emphasizes. Meanwhile, his wife worked with molecular markers in wheat and caused quite a stir in 1998 with the paper "A Microsatellite Map of Wheat." But not only that: Marion Röder, Martin Ganal, and one of their postdocs also filed a patent. "The institute's then patent attorney was immediately convinced of the success - and he was right," recalls Martin Ganal. The sale of licenses brought in more than a million Deutsche Marks at that time.

This success encouraged Martin Ganal to continue on his path. His goal: to make money with insights from science. For this, he founded "TraitGenetics" and left the IPK in October 2001. "Many at the institute did not understand that I was taking this risk and giving up a secure position," he recalls. But not only colleagues had doubts. "The Federal Technology Participation Company (TBG) saw no vision in us, which is why we lacked one million D-marks in start-up capital." So another investor in the form of the Mittelständigen Beteiligungsgesellschaft (mbg) had to be found. However, Martin Ganal firmly believed in the idea of turning molecular markers into a business model. "We Swabians are always said to be good with money, and many in my family have bravely taken the step into self-employment; perhaps it runs in my genes."



Today, 25 years after its founding, the balance is positive. The company is very well positioned and is growing continuously. Its customers include breeders from all over the world. "Our focus is on Europe, but we also have customers in countries like Chile, the USA, Canada, India, or South Africa." However, the company also maintains business relationships with numerous research institutions from the academic sector. "We tailor ourselves precisely to the wishes of our customers and offer high quality, but that naturally comes at a price," says Martin Ganal. "We are more of a specialty store than a discounter."

When asked whether the company is the most successful spin-off from the institute, the founder answers diplomatically yet clearly. "We are at least the only one of the companies that still exists today." Although no longer in the original constellation, in 2018 Martin Ganal, as the main shareholder, and his co-shareholders decided to sell the company to the SGS Group. The company now bears the somewhat cumbersome name "SGS Institut Fresenius GmbH Trait Genetics Section." Financially, it was a lucrative step, but emotionally it was difficult. Martin Ganal remains managing director under the new owner for three more years, after which he also steps down from this position. "One must learn to make way, even if that is not entirely easy."

A successor as managing director has long been found in Heike Gnad, and the timeline is set. At the end of the year, Martin Ganal will leave the company and will only be available for consultation as needed. His wife retired five years ago and had given herself, as she said, a gift for her 60th birthday. Now her husband follows, also on an anniversary, the 25th anniversary of the company. Stephanie Pötzsch, state secretary from the Ministry of Economics in Magdeburg, was present at the celebration in mid-March, as were Frank Ordon, president of the Julius Kühn Institute, and Thomas Bednarczyk, head of SGS in Germany. "I was also pleased that some colleagues from other SGS locations in Germany came," says Martin Ganal.

Is he at peace with himself? Martin Ganal has to think for a moment. "From my perspective, more could have been possible in the joint marketing of the research campus and the cooperation between science and business," he says after a short pause. But that is history. And then he suddenly jumps up at the end of the conversation.

"Come, I have to show you something," explains the 66-year-old, opening a cabinet and pointing to six binders. "In them are all my publications. In total more than 150. Two binders from the IPK era, but four from the time of TraitGenetics." It is important to him that he is still perceived as a scientist today, not just as an entrepreneur. In October he plans to attend a potato conference in Kenya, followed by an oat conference in Chile in November. After that, he will return home to Lake Constance. "We will settle in a small wine village near Lindau." Then the chapter "Gatersleben" closes, which began in 1991 after a conversation in the Arizona desert.



Alois Rainer fundamentally showed understanding for the concerns of the IPK and also recognized the special importance of the gene bank as critical infrastructure for food security. He therefore takes the concern with him, said the minister, who was also chairman of the Finance Committee of the German Bundestag between 2021 and 2025.

Open to the position of science and the IPK, the minister had previously also shown regarding the topic of “New Genomic Techniques” (NGT), which includes the gene scissors CRISPR Cas. Although he has understanding for the position of the opponents in this highly emotional debate, said Alois Rainer. “But we need an acceleration of plant breeding, and the “New Genomic Techniques” (NGT) can help us with that. I stand by this.” After years of discussion, the European Parliament is likely to vote in June on the amendment of European genetic engineering law and possibilities for the use of NGT.

The minister's positioning also pleased Nicolaus von Wirén. The Managing Director of the IPK welcomed the minister and presented him and the Scientific Advisory Board with the research priorities of the institute. “We are dealing with the major global challenges such as climate change and the ongoing loss of biodiversity,” explained Nicolaus von Wirén. Specifically, it is about improving breeding methods, increasing the performance and resilience of plants, and adapting to climate change.

What role the PhänoSphäre as the second major research infrastructure of the institute plays, Thomas Altmann explained to the federal minister. The goal is to better establish connections between the genetic makeup and the properties of the plants. “In the PhänoSphäre, we not only have the opportunity to simulate field situations better than ever before, but also to change them specifically depending on the research question,” said the head of the “Molecular Genetics” department. This includes simulating future environmental situations, as models predict them. “This way, we can determine how performant the genetic diversity of the gene bank is under such future conditions,” said Thomas Altmann.



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Renewed award for the IPK: The Board of the Beruf und Familie Service GmbH has not only awarded the institute the certificate for the audit "Work and Family" again, but also for the first time the certificate "Work and Diversity". This recognizes the commitment to a "family-friendly personnel policy", the Board announced. The IPK has received the "Work and Family" certificate for the sixth time and is one of the seven institutions that have also been awarded the second certificate by the Board. The certificates are valid for three years. They are considered important strategic marketing tools for attracting the "best minds" in the region and beyond.

“These certificates allow us to make visible what we live at the IPK Leibniz Institute: equal opportunities and the promotion of diversity in a family-friendly environment,” emphasized Nicolaus von Wirén, Managing Director of the IPK. And Oliver Schmitz, Managing Director of the Beruf und Familie Service GmbH, said on the occasion of the audit: “For 16 years now, the IPK has created the foundation for a working world in which family-friendliness and different life phases are consciously taken into account. With the combined certification, the institute continues on this path and emphasizes as an internationally leading research institution how important diversity and the compatibility of family and science are.”

“The double audit made the process more complex than in previous years,” explains Heike Kwisdorf from the “Human Resources” working group, which is responsible for the audit at the institute. In a first step, several focus group discussions were held with representatives of individual employment groups on the topic of diversity according to the audit's specifications. In two subsequent workshops, aspects such as ethnic origin and nationality, religion and worldview, gender and gender identity, age, as well as physical and mental abilities were worked out and appropriate measures developed.

In the final step, the framework conditions regarding the compatibility of work and family were evaluated and important points for optimization or sustainability were formulated. “In conclusion, we coordinated the previously proposed measures with the management of the IPK and agreed on them in a binding action program,” said Heike Kwisdorf.

Thus, the measures regarding the diversity aspect of “age” aim to align personnel planning with the research strategy of the IPK and ensure knowledge transfer against the backdrop of the age structure of the IPK. The diversity aspect of “age” includes, among other things, the development of a training strategy, as well as the examination of the implementation of demographic discussions. Additionally, English courses are to be offered again at the institute, specifically for the science-supporting staff. This is intended to improve communication among the approximately 30 different nationalities.

“We are very happy and grateful that we were able to put together such a diverse package of measures due to the extraordinary commitment of the employees involved in the auditing process,” explains Susann Deike, head of the “Human Resources” working group. A steering group will be responsible for implementing the package of measures, which will be formed in the coming weeks from representatives of the “Human Resources” working group, the staff council, the equality office, the international office, the PhD student board, the postdoc board, the company integration officers, the representatives for severely disabled persons, and the department heads.

Since 1999, the Consortium of Beruf und Familie Service GmbH has annually honored employers who have successfully completed the auditing process in the past twelve months. The patron is Federal Minister for Family Affairs Karin Prien (CDU). The "Beruf und Familie Service GmbH" is based on an initiative launched in 1998 by the non-profit Hertie Foundation. A total of 227 institutions, organizations, and universities were awarded last year, including 57 in the current round.

The certificates were officially presented to all audited organizations on June 18 in Berlin. "We are very pleased that we are at the forefront of the topic of diversity in the Leibniz community and have received a corresponding certificate as the second institute," says Susann Deike.



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Legumes were also on the menu at the casino at IPK.

The casino team even prepared a whole week dedicated to legumes and always offered a dish made from legumes. On February 10th, all dishes were made with legumes. There were classic green beans with Kassler, a chickpea stew, and as the highlight of the day: fried salmon fillet on linguini with lentil vegetables and Pernod cream.

You know the great variety of legumes, have tried many by now, and were even invited by Sebastian Lege to taste in his TV show "Lege kommt auf den Geschmack". What is your favorite dish?

Well, Sebastian Lege's chili is hard to beat, and I also really enjoy chili. But I am a big fan of soups. I love white bean stew with Kassler or a creamy bean soup with tomatoes and vegetables that is cooked down to a nice thick consistency.



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However, the starting signal for the journalists' college was already given the day before at the IPK. Thomas Altmann, Anna Backhaus, and Nils Stein guided the participants through the two most important research infrastructures of the institute. In the PhänoSphäre, the "Field of the Future" can already be simulated today. In this unique facility, important environmental conditions such as light, temperature, wind, and CO2 content can be controlled and reproducibly set for various experiments and stress scenarios such as heat and drought. Nils Stein and Anna Backhaus not only showed the journalist group the cooling cells of the gene bank, where the seeds are stored at minus 18 degrees and thus remain viable, but also explained the germination testing and the herbarium.

However, there were also controversial discussions. "Top research in the tension between politics, media, and society" was the title of a discussion round. It was about green genetic engineering and hostility towards science as well as the mutual expectations of science, media, and politics.

Rainer Kurlemann, a member of the board of the Science Press Conference (WPK), explained that science communication is almost always political. Ursula Weidenfeld, a business and science journalist, defended the "primacy of politics" in fundamental decisions. However, CDU member of the Bundestag Anna Aeikens admitted that politics takes too long to make decisions on issues such as green genetic engineering. Isabel Haberkorn, head of communication at JKI, advocated for a permanent dialogue even with people who have been skeptical of science so far. Nicolaus von Wirén, managing director of the IPK, stated that he has learned through media contacts in recent years how important it is to convey scientific findings simply and understandably.

And that is exactly what Hannah Schneider, Anna Backhaus, Kerstin Neumann, and Ricardo Giehl did. The four group leaders of the IPK not only explained their work on root research, grasses, legumes, and nutrients but also highlighted their significance and relevance in times of climate change and a significant increase in extreme weather events. In this context, Andreas Marx from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) explained his work on the drought monitor. At JKI, Andreas Stahl explained how the resilience of our crops can be increased through advances in breeding – but also has already been. And his colleague Ute Vogler spoke on the topic of "Urban Trees Under Stress."

How Henrik Hartmann and his colleague Daniel Magnabosco-Marra can relieve the spruce trees in the Harz Mountains from their enormous stress and help them in the fight against the bark beetle can surely be answered better in a year. "Because then we hopefully already have initial data on the scent profiles," says the institute director. The interest in his research is already great. And so the JKI researcher already gave the first interviews in the spruce forest near Breitenstein – just as it should be in a journalists' college.



And how the scientists at the IPK work became clear not only during the tours of the gene bank and the PhänoSphäre. Under the title "CRISPR, Callus and Gene Cannon," researchers provided insights into the use of biotechnology in research and breeding on Saturday. The presentation "With High-Tech on the Trail of the Letters of Life" focused on DNA sequencing. Additionally, there were exciting insights into the use of magnetic resonance imaging and electron microscopy in plant research.

But that's not all: At information booths, among others, the Northern subcollections of the gene bank ("Treasures from the North") and the Neuland-PLANDT project, which the IPK organized together with the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle, presented themselves. And those who had their bicycles with them could participate in a "Musical Bike Tour to the Biogas Plant."

The "Open Doors Day" was rounded off by an extensive children's program as well as good catering in the casino, at the grill, and at the booths in front of the lecture hall.







[This English translation was generated using an automated translation tool based on ChatGPT, without any manual correction.]

"We are a house where children explore," is written on a small sign at the entrance of the daycare "Sonnenschein." And indeed, research and experiencing nature are two cornerstones of the institution's concept. Since 2012, the "Kita" has held the title "House of Little Researchers," a program funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR). "The idea to participate came from a colleague who brought it back from a training course," says Svenja Gebbert, deputy director of the daycare. The centerpiece is an annual STEM participation day, which will take place in 2026 under the motto "Say A - Healthy into the Future!" The aim is to take a look at the medicine of the future. "We then come up with a suitable experiment for each of our six groups based on the respective theme every year." Approximately 38,900 daycares, elementary schools, and after-school programs across Germany participate in the initiative of the foundation "Children Explore!"

The great interest of parents in programs like this is of course not surprising in Gatersleben. "We have two or three children in each group whose parents work at the IPK, and for that reason alone, there is a great openness to such topics," reports Svenja Gebbert. Currently, there are parents from China, Spain, Argentina, and India. "This is of course a real unique selling point of our institution, which colleagues from other daycare centers often mention to me." In Gatersleben, this has been a lived reality for years, also in close cooperation with the IPK. The care contracts have also been available in English for years. "And when we have development discussions with parents, Bianca Jacobi or Brit Lepps from the IPK join us as interpreters," reports Svenja Gebbert, who has been working in the daycare center for 13 years and has been the deputy director of the institution for three years. In everyday life, Svenja Gebbert also speaks English with the parents of the foreign children. "Polishing up the old school English was initially a challenge, but it is nice to learn something new myself."

This also applies to the approximately 80 girls and boys of the daycare center. The daycare not only participates in the program of the foundation "Children Research!", but also in the program "Forest Fox" in Saxony-Anhalt. Every year, more than 200 daycare centers participate in the project of the German Forest Protection Association. The daycare from Gatersleben has been involved since 2021. The program stipulates that the children complete at least eight forest days and engage with a specific topic on these days. "Our preschool group meets once a month with the hunter from Hoym in Gatersleben – at the fish ponds, in the park, or at the daycare. And then it’s about tracking in the snow, the proper behavior in the forest, or the tasks of hunters and foresters," says Svenja Gebbert. At the end of the year, there is not only a closing celebration in a hunting lodge but also a final exam. "We want to create a balance to everyday life with this."

The great commitment in the areas of research and nature, especially the great diversity in the daycare, is also a point that Mayor Jörg Erdmenger emphasizes. He remembers very clearly the time in the early 1990s. Suddenly, there were foreign families in the village through the IPK, which was a new experience for many, according to the mayor. "The children themselves simply made contact playfully with each other in the daycare. It was harmonious and beautiful to see. On this basis, we as parents also started talking, but the children took the first step towards each other. They were real bridge builders."

Meanwhile, the exchange with the foreign children and parents as well as the IPK has become established and works in both directions, says Svenja Gebbert. "It’s a give and take. We are happy to come to the open house day and regularly use the offerings of the Green Laboratory. For this, we also receive plants for our raised beds and pumpkins for the harvest festival from the institute, or the foreign parents contribute to our summer festival."

At the beginning of July, it will be that time again. Then, the large outdoor area of the daycare will celebrate under the motto "Joyful Country Life on the Farm." And next year, the daycare will also participate in the open house day and the festival of encounters at the institute. The most important goal, however, is to make Gatersleben a place of encounter every day. In the daycare "Sonnenschein," this has been achieved excellently.





[This English translation was generated using an automated translation tool based on ChatGPT, without any manual correction.]

Under the title "Superfood Field Bean," Florian Zinner reported for MDR on a new study regarding the winter hardiness of field beans. The contribution, for which he spoke with Martin Mascher, was also broadcast by WDR and SWR. The Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation reported in the program "Schnittgut - The Gardening Magazine" about the large citizen science experiment on bean diversity, which is part of the INCREASE project. However, the contribution with Kerstin Neumann was not only about the citizen experiment but also about the importance of the large bean variety collection of the IPK gene bank for the development of new, resilient varieties.

Several contributions, including a larger piece by Christian Schwägerl about the work of Anna Backhaus, have emerged in the context of the recent journalists' college organized by IPK in April on the topic of "Heat and Drought." Again in partnership with an institution, this year the Julius Kühn Institute in Quedlinburg.